Prey to a Hunter
by darkjedi908
Summary: The Predator...the ultumite hunter..has arrived in Mineral Town. The end! 17 Chapters Written!
1. Make a Wish

Unlike my other, lighter Harvest Moon fic (which is detailing the story as I play it on my game), this is a darker turn on the characters of Mineral Town (and proves my nerdiness). The Predator, the ultumite hunter, has landed in Mineral Town. And his first victim is...well, I'll leave you to find out. Warning: Contains scenes of blood. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH!

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter I:

Make a Wish

_Incident+000 Hours. Date: Fall 10th, Year 5_

"There it goes! Make a wish, Jack!"

My beautiful wife, Ann Rutan, whom I had been married to for only about a year, smiled at me as I closed my eyes in thought. It had been one year since we had been married, and our baby boy, currently being babysat by close family friend Cliff, born two seasons after that. And it had been five years, five long, happy years, since I had moved from the city to the quiet, peaceful Mineral Town. And I had loved every second of it. No regret or tears were shed over my leaving the city; my parents, who had died only a season ago, sent their regards and were proud of my for restoring my Grandfather's farm.

Ann and I had seemed the perfect couple when we had been married; both or us avid animal lovers, pacifists, and wildly in love with each other. The warm feelings, like the heat of a setting sun, had not dimmed at all over the last year, only increased, especially after the birth of our son, Charlie. Cliff, his babysitter at the moment, I knew, was only still in Mineral Town because I had the sense to indirectly give him a job during my first year at this wonderful slice of paradise. I had secured Cliff a job at the Winery in town, and he had worked there ever since. Cliff had once harbored a crush on Ann, and I did not doubt that it still lingered, just past the surface of consciousness. I did not really care; Cliff was a good person, and a loyal friend.

Almost all the young couples in Mineral Town were here, at the peak of Mother's hill, watching the stars with us. Karen and Rick, the town hottie (I still snickered at the Doctor's assessment of Karen) and the town's resident nerd (it seemed almost unspoken, because of Rick's appearance and dedication to chickens). Mary and Grey, the quiet couple, only recently married, were silently observing the peaceful night sky a little farther away from us. And the town's Doctor and Elli, his partner and lover, held hands as they gazed at the stars. I could imagine that Kai and Popuri would be here, as well, had they not moved away to the city only weeks ago.

My farm, which had belonged to my Grandfather Wallace, had been nicknamed "Trayus" by him. I did not understand the significance of the name, and I guess my grandfather had taken the secret to the grave with him. At first, only a modest shack, small barn, and miniscule chicken coop adorned a derelict field, but five years of dedication and hard work had transformed the place from dump to paradise. Eight plump, well fed, happy chickens laid something I had never thought possible; "Golden Eggs", nicknamed as such by residents of Mineral Town for their excellent omelet potential, greeted me every morning as I went out to work on the farm. Four sheep and six cows, happy and middle-aged, thrived in the ecosystem that was my farm. The wool my sheep produced made excellent yarn, and the milk of my cows was rich and thick. The entire town was almost spoiled with the bounty of our crops that I gave to Zack every day to sell.

Farm life, at first, did not have silver lining and was not easy. I had worked for two years before even considering upsizing the tiny shack that was home. Gotz, the lumberjack, of course, was a good friend and only too happy to help. With his help, the farm expanded, and ran like a well-oiled machine. My first two chickens, John and Linda, had died of sickness and my ignorance. I had almost lost my first three cows to a pox during my third year in Mineral Town. After my third year, and after I had learned the ropes of farming life, the farm became self-sufficient.

Since I first crossed the threshold of the Inn and met Ann and Doug, I had always loved Ann. She and I had become friends almost overnight, giving me hints and advice about farm life. I, of course, welcomed the help. Conversation came easily to us, hanging out at the spring, the Inn, and even at various festivals. I imagined Ann could probably make a great farmer, had her father owned a farm at all. A fiery temper compensated for her kind personality, and I had unfortunately been on the receiving end of her anger more than once. The bruises and cuts from our various fights had lasted for weeks on end. Ann was very strong, and could stand toe to toe with any other male in town, except maybe Zack. The image of Ann, the tough little tomboy, however, melted away before my eyes as Ann laid her head on my shoulder and sighed. Smiling at my good fortune, I wished that times like this would never end, just as a large star shot through the clouds.

A low whistling noise split the silence of the night. Looking up in surprise, I saw the star I had wished on wasn't gone. It was accelerating at a phenomenal rate. Mary and Grey had sat up, intently staring at the approaching fireball. Karen and Rick were transfixed by the glowing sight before them.

"Do you think this one will touch down really close to us?" Mary wondered aloud. Rick shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe it'll burn up before it hits the ground" he muttered. Ann raised her head and stared at the approaching projectile, staring at it with a mixture of wonder and confusion.

"What do you think it is?" she asked me quietly. I shook my head.

"I don't really know. Maybe it's some sort of sign. You know, maybe, a premonition…to a happy life, for all of us" I rambled dreamily. Ann shook her head and poked me.

"You think too much, sometimes, Jack, you know that?" she snickered playfully and punched me on the arm. I smiled at her challenge and pinned her to the ground.

"Ooh, what'cha gonna do now, Jack?" Ann giggled, looking at me.

"Not here. Maybe later" I whispered to her. Ann flushed slightly and smiled. The other couples, however, were staring intently at the fireball in the sky, which drew closer and closer to the ground. My head snapped up as a loud, deafening roar echoed through the lonely mountain peak. A small hole had been punched in the forest, about half a mile away from the hill. A column of smoke, barely visible in the darkness, spiraled lazily towards the sky.

"Maybe we'll check it out tomorrow. I'll bet it's some sort of moon rock!" Rick stated happily. Mary shook her head.

"I doubt it. It's probably just a big lump of nickel" she countered. Rick scowled.

We split up as we descended down the mountain; Karen, Rick, Ann and myself going one way, and Grey and Mary going another, taking a small path that led back to the Library. Rick glanced around nerviously.

"You know, the woods sure are scary at night" he moaned. Karen glared at him.

"Oh, don't tell me my big, strong, Rick is afraid of the dark?" she mocked, secretly winking at Ann behind Rick's back. Rick stiffened and puffed out his chest.

"Of course not! I'm just…noting that you ladies might be scared! Hah! Yeah!" Rick quickly recovered. Karen and Ann rolled their eyes, and I snickered at Rick. Rick turned about to retort, but he suddenly vanished, with a scream! Karen wheeled about and searched the woods for her husband, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Ok, Rick. This isn't funny. Come on out, now!" she called. Silence greeted her.

"Aww, man, Rick! You got us! We're leaving now!" I called, hopefully trying to lure Rick out of hiding. Still no response.

"Ah, he probably got scared and ran. He'll be home wearing his Dracula mask and ready for me" Karen said, rolling her eyes. Ann snickered, and I grinned.

"Well, when you get back, tell him he's a wuss for me, will you?" I ribbed Karen. Karen momentarily scowled at me before replying;

"Don't worry about that, Jack. He's right behind you, look!" Karen said, pointing. I turned; the path behind us was empty. Karen looked into the shadows, puzzled.

"That's weird. I thought I just saw him. He was right behind you, Jack" Karen stated, confused. I shrugged.

"Maybe it's the bogeyman" I smirked. Karen shook her head at me.

"Grow up" she told me.

As I opened my mouth with a comeback, a loud, shrill, fearful scream punctured the night like a knife. Ann's eyes widened in terror as something dripped onto her shoulder. Even in the darkness, I saw the liquid was red. It was blood.

"That was Mary and Grey! Come on!" I shouted. Knowing that we were already too late for whatever happened, we sped along, anyway. Reaching into my pack, I drew my hand-axe, which I had forgotten to put away this morning. I had been chopping wood earlier to make firewood for the upcoming winter.

No matter wherever I turned, I could not shake the sense that we were being watched. And stalked, like prey before the hunter closes in for the kill. We were the mouse, innocent and unsuspecting, and the hawk circled out of reach, ready to strike. Mentally, I slapped myself upside the head. What was I thinking this stuff for? I was never a really pessimistic person before.

We reached a turn in the path. I whipped around the corner, almost trampling Mary, who crouched, horrified, over what looked like a piece of raw hamburger meat. Grey stood stock-still, his face only displaying horror. Turning back to the mess on the ground, it took me all of a second to realize the thing I was staring at was flesh. Human flesh.

Karen's eyes widened as her gaze traced over the trees. Blood was painted gruesomely across the treetops, like a body had been dragged across them.

"Oh…oh my god" Karen moaned. Then it hit me. I looked down at the bloody mess at my feet. Beside the pile of human innards, lay a pair of bloodstained glasses.

"Rick…" I gasped. Karen knelt and sobbed, dry, racking sobs. Ann knelt by her friend, holding her as she sobbed on her shoulder. I shook my head in pity at Karen's loss, and turned to Mary and Grey.

"Did you see what happened?"

Mary's eyes never left the gore splayed out in front of her. Her eyes had become glassy, distant. Shell shock. My grandfather had told me about soldiers, after experiencing death firsthand, had just blanked out, a classic case of shell shock. He would know; he was a World War II veteran.

"I…I don't truly know, Jack. I doubt I ever will. We…we heard this rustling noise above us, in the trees. Someone screamed, and this…" he began, gesturing towards the mess on the ground, "fell down on us. Is that…Rick?" he asked, horrified. I nodded solemnly. Grey stared blankly at me, shifting from the gore to me, and back again.

"Let's get to my farm. It's closer, and whatever got Rick could still be out there. Let's go" I suggested, clutching my axe like a club. The feeling of being watched did not end as we proceeded towards Trayus. The familiar lights and plowed fields wrought a sigh from me as I lowered my axe. My dogs, Revan and Malak respectively, trotted up to me and licked my face. I scratched their heads and led the others towards my house. Opening the door, I let everyone else in first. As I turned to shut the door, I could have swore a pair of eyes were gazing at me from across the feeling. Repressing the urge to shudder, I locked the doors and windows before sitting everyone down at the table. Reaching into the refrigerator, I pulled out some wine and crackers and distributed them to everyone. No one ate or drank, even Karen, who was notoriously fond of wine.

"Alright, everyone. Let's start from the beginning. What happened?" I began arbitrarily. Karen's eyes watered, and she put her head down on her arms, sobbing again. Ann patted her back and looked at me imploringly. I sighed.

"Ok, so, we don't know what is out there, exactly. Do you think there's someone in town that has some kind of grudge against Rick?" I asked. Mary and Grey shook their heads.

"Nobody. Not even Kai, who he hated with a passion. Rick was liked by everyone. You know that, Jack" Mary silently noted. I sighed.

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry. We're all…disturbed, ok? Let's take it from the top, now. What do you think…attacked Rick?" I asked. Mary and Grey were silent.

"There aren't any cougars or mountain lions near Mineral Town" Ann piped up. I nodded at her.

"Any bears?" I asked. "Bears can climb trees, and I guess if they got hungry enough, would eat someone…"

Mary spoke up.

"But there haven't been any sightings of bears in Mineral Town since the founding days! And in the first five years, all bears in the area were hunted to extinction! So how can it be a bear?" Mary asked rhetorically.

"Ok, guys. This isn't going anywhere. Why don't we all sleep on it and we'll get Harris and the others in the morning. It'll get better, I promise. This could even be all some kind of prank!" I said, trying to lighten the mood. Karen sniffed at me through bloodshot eyes. Grey and Mary lay on twin sleeping bags that belonged to myself and Ann, and we took the beds. Karen sat upright in her chair, staring silently out of the window.

Before going to bed, I reached behind my shelf and pulled out a long package. Dust had settled over it, a testament to the fact I hoped I would never have to use it. Opening the dusty package, I beheld my father's Remington Model 87 shotgun. Loading a trio of shells into it, I slid the receiver back and into the ready position. It slid with a sinister click. Placing the weapon under the bed, I climbed into bed next to my sleeping wife and closed my tired eyes. Before I fell asleep, I could have sworn I saw a pair of yellow, glowing eyes outside of my window.


	2. Discovery

Author's Note: RATING MAY CHANGE AS STORY PROGRESSES! Enjoy, and please, review!

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter II:

Discovery

_Incident+13 Hours. Fall 11th, Year 5_

Yawning and stretching, I smiled at the prospect of a new day on the farm. Trayus just hadn't run out of surprises for me yet. My animals were always up to something new. It was only until I swung my legs over the bed and knocked over a Remington Model 87 shotgun that I remembered the events of the previous night. Grabbing the fallen weapon, I half expected some evil, black hissing bug like creature to pop out of the walls and attack. Nothing. There was nothing.

Karen was passed out on the table. A small pool of dribble ran out of her mouth as she snored quietly. Ann slowly rose and yawned beside me.

"Hey…check out Karen…" I giggled. Ann paused, almost expecting to see Karen lying a pool of her own blood. But seeing Karen, asleep at our table, drooling all over the place, was too funny. Ann covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. The sight was just too funny; Karen, the town hottie, passed out on farmer Jack's table, drooling all over the place. If only Rick were here to see this…I quickly banished all thoughts of Rick out of my mind.

Grey and Mary were sitting up. They looked a little disoriented, but otherwise were alright.

Karen stirred. I quickly shoved my shotgun under the bed. Ann eyed the weapon with distaste; firearms were as rare as mean neighbors in Mineral Town. I could only think of two people in the entire town who owned some kind of operational firearm: Saibara, the blacksmith, owned some moving parts and the stock of a Thompson sub-machine gun from his glory days in World War II, and Doug, Ann's father, kept a revolver hidden under his pillow at night. Rumor had it that Doug had once been robbed and attacked at night by a passing stranger, and he didn't intend for it to happen again.

"Uuunnggh…ooh, my head" Karen moaned as she sat up. Staring around at Ann, Grey, Mary, and myself barely trying to repress our laughter, she scowled.

"Well? What is it?" she asked imperiously. I burst out laughing.

"Wipe your chin, Karen!" I managed in between laughs. Grey had a smirk on his face, and Mary and Ann were cracking up and leaning on chairs for support as Karen, to her horror, wiped a massive amount of drool off of her chin. Grimancing in disgust as she flung the horrible stuff off of her hands, she glared at each of us in turn as we cracked up. Even the normally Spartan Grey was laughing his head off. Karen scowled and huffed as we slowly stopped laughing. Looking around, Karen asked,

"Has anyone seen Rick?"

Everyone immediately stopped laughing. Ann shifted uncomfortably, Mary and Grey exchanged looks, and I quickly searched for words.

"You…don't remember last night?" I asked finally. Karen shook her head.

"I don't. All I remember is going to Mother's Hill with you guys, and then waking up here! Why?" she asked. Ann and I looked at each other sadly. Ann decided to break it to her.

"Karen…Rick's dead. Something…attacked us in the woods. We don't know what it was, but it…it…it killed Rick. I'm sorry," Ann mumbled, glancing at the ground. Karen's look of shock was quickly replaced by a look of mischief.

"Hahahaha! Very funny, Ann, but I know my Rick- he's probably just hiding! He's watching this little prank. Rick! You can come out now!" she called, opening the door outside. Karen stumbled outside, calling for Rick to stop hiding. I shook my head at Ann and stepped outside after her. I was not prepared for the scene that greeted me outside.

My plots of vegetables were ruined. Trampled. A long, winding path had been cut through my large fields of sweet potatoes, eggplant, and pumpkins.

"My…my fields! Ruined!" I exclaimed in horror. Ann rushed outside and gasped. All of our hard work…for nothing.

"It's not all ruined. It only seems like some sort of path's been blazed through, like someone carelessly walking, or something" Mary observed. I gave her a strange look.

"What? It does!"

Grey was poking around the chicken coop when I heard him scream. Glancing over at Karen, who was wobbling unsteadily on her feet, still calling for Rick, I quickly dashed over to Grey, praying that whatever killed Rick didn't get Grey too. Ann went off to check Karen, to make sure she wouldn't do anything…hasty. I repressed my pity for the moment as I reached Grey. Grey pointed mutely to the chicken coop's door. There was nothing wrong that I could see. I looked at Grey quizzically. He pointed towards the doorknob. There was nothing wrong with that, either. I reached to open the doorknob…

…and the door swung open, to reveal the carnage within. Chicken feathers were scattered throughout the barn, like the chickens had panicked and run in circles in their final moments of life. Eight eggs lay smashed open on the ground, and heavy footprints still lay in the straw that littered the floor of the coop. Blood splattered the walls, painting a gruesome scene.

"My chickens!" I exclaimed angrily. I dashed off towards the barn. Opening that, I was relieved to at least see my other animals alive and well. Bastila, the youngest calf, rubbed her nose against my thigh. I patted her head in return. The other cows, Jamia, Jaden, Anna, Rebecca, and Jen happily moo'ed at me. The four sheep, Odysseus, Penelope, Visas, and Kriea all balefully gazed at me as I moved in to inspect them. No damage done. Stepping outside, I gazed angrily at the damage done to our farm. No matter what had happened, who had done it, they would pay. Dearly. This was an atrocity, coming to my farm, slaughtering my chickens, destroying my crops, and most importantly, brutally slaughtering Rick!

"What's going on, Jack?" Ann asked me quietly as I gazed out at the destruction wrought upon my farm. I answered truthfully.

"I don't know, dear. I really don't know".

Karen was huddled in the corner of our house, her knees hugged against her chest. Her eyes were glassy, and she muttered something to herself every three seconds, as if trying to convince herself of something. I didn't catch all of it, but I did hear the words "still alive" and "Rick". Poor girl, she must be in shock.

Mary and Grey had returned to the Library to inform Anna and Basil about what had happened. Too disgruntled to continue farm work, I headed into town to see the mayor. The poultry farm, blacksmith, winery, supermarket, clinic, and inn all blended into a whirling collage of images and scenes as I knocked on mayor Thomas' door. The door opened to reveal Thomas, a grin on his face.

"Jack! How are you! Oh, my, are you alright?" he inquired suddenly, noticing my bloodshot eyes and pale face.

"Someone, call the Doctor!" Thomas called. As he called the Doctor's name over and over, I remembered that the Doctor and Elli had stayed on Mother's Hill, although the rest of us had left. As the doors creaked open, my eyes rolled into my head and I collapsed. The last thing I saw was the Doctor, scrambling to hold me upright as I fell…

-

"Doctor, I think he's coming around!"

Elli's voice stabbed through the veil of my mind as I slowly opened my eyes. The Doctor, Tim, Elli and Thomas leaned over me, peering in concern.

"What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Tim exclaimed. I inwardly groaned; I had to stop mentally referring to him as 'The Doctor' from now on. He was a person; he had a name, too!

"Tim, weren't you at Mother's Hill last night? You and Elli?" I asked. Elli flushed bright red as Tim glanced down.

"Umm…yes, we were. You saw us, Jack. Why?" he asked, confusion apparent on his face.

"Where did you go afterwards? After we all left?" I asked.

"Well, ummm, …." Tim trailed off, he himself blushing now. Elli piped up in a squeaky, embarrassed voice,

"We fell asleep".

I arched an eyebrow at them.

"So soundly asleep that you missed a cry for help?" I asked angrily, sitting up. Thomas, Tim and Elli looked at me, surprised.

"No one cried for help last night, Jack. What happened?" Tim asked.

"I don't know how to say this, really. Ummm…" I began, searching for the best way to break the news to them. Tim looked at me imploringly.

"Yes?"

"Rick's dead. Something killed him last night" I mumbled. Tim gasped.

"Do you have any proof?" Thomas asked. My anger spiked at Thomas' slowness to react. Harris should already be calling in reinforcements from the mainland by now!

"PROOF? FOLLOW THE PATH BEHIND THE LIBRARY FOR A BIT, AND YOU'LL FIND YOUR PROOF!" I exclaimed angrily. Thomas backed up in surprise and Elli recoiled. Tim, however, held up his hands.

"Alright, Jack. Who was with you at the time of the murder?"

"Who else? Ann, Mary, Grey, and myself. Go ask the killer if you want proof" I growled angrily. Rick was DEAD! DEAD, and not coming back!

"Jack! Calm down! This isn't helping! Now, are you certain that Rick is dead? Did you see a body? Did you see who killed him?" Tim asked.

"Rick is nothing more that a little piece of meat on the side of a path! He's been smeared all over the woods, Tim! He's been brutally mauled! His killer is still in those woods! Well, I don't care to sit here and wait! I'm going to get help, and you can just fuck off and die if you're not gonna help me at all!" I yelled, letting my anger get the best of me as I stormed angrily out of the Clinic.

-

Unbeknownst to Jack, or anyone else for that matter, a dark shadow crouched outside of the Clinic window. The creature's attempts at unraveling the enigma presented to it were…amusing at best. The creature had seen the human's fear last night…after he had hunted. A successful hunt, to be sure. But there would be more. There would always be more.

Pressing a button on the side of his helmet, the Yajuta warrior replayed a recording of the human's words, 'fixed' so a warrior like him could pronounce them correctly.

"Fuck off and die". It sounded just right. Right before a kill.

He was ready. The hunt begins now.


	3. The Hunt Begins

Wow, an update so soon! Yay! There may have been some discrepancies between personalities and my portrayal of the Predator and it's habits, but, I don't have much to go on, besides the two Predator movies, and what I've been able to gather from them. Enjoy!

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter III

The Hunt Begins

_Incident+59 Hours. Fall 13th, Year 5_

Harris and Tim marched ahead of me as we walked along the path behind the Library. I held my shotgun high, in case the thing that had killed Rick was some kind of wild animal lurking in the woods. The footprints of Grey and Mary hadn't even had time to fade yet as we followed them to that familiar turn in the path.

Flies swarmed all around it, but the hunk of meat and glasses still lay on the side of the path. Blood still painted a red scene along the tops of the trees. Zack, who carried some kind of spear-weapon used for fishing, wrinkled his nose in disgust and swore under his breath as he beheld Rick's glasses. Tim knelt down beside the pile of rotting flesh and declared,

"This isn't Rick"

I looked at Tim sharply and Harris arched an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, it's not Rick's? It's painted all over the forest, starting with where he disappeared!" I exclaimed angrily, waving my shotgun in the air. Zack nimbly dodged the butt of the weapon as it passed by his head. Harris warily looked around and lay his hand on the grip of his 9mm police pistol; standard for any police officer, backwater farming town or not.

"I've got a hunch that this blood isn't Rick's. Look at his glasses, and the way the blood is smeared. If Rick had, say, had his head chopped off or a leg dismembered, the blood would be scattered in tiny blots and dots, not looking like it ran down the frames. It only seems like Rick suffered some kind of head wound. Whatever got Rick wanted him alive, and probably knocked him out to do it" Tim said with an air of confidence.

"Then what is that?" I asked, pointing towards the mountain of flesh. Tim smiled sadly at it, and replied,

"I think that's the remains of one of your chickens, Jack. The thing stole your chickens, right? I'll have to check out some of the woods, and your farm, but I'm sure that this does not belong to Rick. He's still alive, out there, somewhere" Tim declared. I sighed.

"Let's spread out and search. If you find Rick, or the thing that killed him, don't try and take it on alone. Harris, go with Tim. Zack, you and I will search the south side of the forest. Let's go!" I ordered. Somehow, unspoken, the others had let me take charge of the murder investigation, even though Harris was the police officer. They nodded, and went off to search for Rick's body. Zack held his weapon at chest height as he marched off into the woods with me.

"Are you alright, Jack?" he asked meekly as we marched for some time. I glared at him.

"How do you think I would be, after seeing one of my best friends murdered? I'm only wondering how Karen is going to take it, in the long run…" I mumbled. Zack looked down.

"Yeah…I wondered about her. I hope she'll be OK" he consoled.

"Ann will take good care of her until then. Let's worry about the now" I growled. The smell of smoke was becoming apparent in the crisp Autumn air; it occurred to me that we had gone about five miles into the woods, and were nearing the crash site of that strange meteoroid.

"Phew! What's that smell?" Zack inquired, pinching his nose. I replied,

"A meteor hit the ground here, last night. I think we're getting close". Gripping my shotgun tighter, I warily looked around at my surroundings. Every shadow, every rustling of leaves, seemed to be some kind of predator descending from the trees to kill us. I felt like a rabbit being hunted, helpless, trapped, and afraid. My finger hovered very close to the trigger, ready to fire.

We reached a clearing. In the center of the clearing lay a massive, smoking crater. Molten-red rock, still glowing slightly, adorned the field, obviously from the meteor's impact. Zack grunted as he tripped over a small flaming meteorite, only to have his pants leg catch on fire! Shouting angrily and snarling, Zack hopped up and down, slowly extinguishing the blaze. I sighed. If that predator was still out there, it had probably heard Zack by now. I glanced at the perimeter of the clearing; nothing. Good.

-

The Yajuta silently chuckled at the human's ignorance; if it knew what force was waiting, taking aim, as it stupidly flapped it's arms around and yelled at the top of it's minuscule lungs…other species, knowing what the Yajuta could do, ran in fear at the sight, or, lack of sight, of a warrior such as himself.

The Yajuta had enjoyed his meal the previous night. Earth animals made oddly satisfying food for warriors like himself with nothing to go on. Of course, they were dropped onto planets like this without provisions as a test, to prove their worth. Yajuta were tough, anyway.

These two humans were armed. The Yajuta recognized the lead one as the one he had tried to kill the previous night. The human would not escape his grasp again. The Yajuta tapped a button on his wrist, and his shoulder cannon locked into place. Triangulating the homing device, he locked onto a human and…

-

Zack peered over the edge of the crater. I crouched a meter away, shotgun ready, glancing nervously around, waited for Zack to shout out what he had found. Something didn't feel right, exactly like the night before. Something was out there, watching me and Zack work. Waiting to strike. My hair stood on edge as he remembered the yellow eyes staring at him from outside of his fields; whatever the thing was, it probably wasn't human.

"Hey, Jack! Check this out!" Zack cried, a mixture of awe and wonder in his voice.

"Yeah? What is it?" I asked.

"You're not gonna believe this. It's…!" Zack began. I rose slowly. Zack had frozen still, staring into the trees in front of us. I slowly trotted over to him, staring into the distance.

"What is it?"

"Something moved. In the trees" Zack whispered. Straining my eyes, I couldn't see a thing. The forest was empty.

"Aww, come on, Zack. Nice try" I ribbed, punching him in the shoulder. Zack stared into the trees, still, glaring at a branch. It seemed to sway on it's own, as if something had landed on it…

"It's there. Don't you see it? That odd-shimmery stuff?" Zack asked, pointing towards the branch. Still nothing. I shook my head in response. Zack looked at me quizzically.

"Don't you see it? Look closely" Zack urged. It turned out that I didn't have to look very hard to see what happened next. The same pair of yellow eyes that had stalked me from the woods and followed me into my fields last night suddenly began to glow from the tree branch. Horror washed over me as I realized that the thing that had gotten Rick and devastated my farm was in a prime position to kill both of us in one strike. The thing was obviously not an animal, and defiantly not human. The camoflauge and glowing yellow eyes were a testament to this. So what was this thing? An alien?

All these questions dropped from my mind faster than a falling stone as a glowing ball of light zoomed towards our position. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I screamed "RUN!", and jumped towards Zack, who stood directly in the path of the speeding ball of light. Slamming my shoulder into his gut, we both flew sideways, landing in a heap on the ground. I could feel the heat of the light as the projectile narrowly missed blowing my head off.

I immediately rolled off of Zack, snatched at my fallen shotgun, and fired a shell at the tree branch. The branch exploded, showering the field with splinters ranging from the size of sowing needles to pencils. An odd, gurgling kind of chuckle passed over my head as I looked up. Sure enough, Zack's shimmering foe leaped over my head and landed next to the prone Zack. The shimmer seemed humanoid, biped at least. The chuckling continued as the thing leaned over Zack.

"Get away from him!" I yelled, pumping shotgun shells into the shimmering menace. The weapon boomed, and the deafening noise taught me why the weapon had been nicknamed a "boomstick" by armed forces soldiers who used weapons like this on a frequent basis. I wished I had some kind of earmuffs as the booming resonated in my ears. The noise of metal striking metal, however, was still audible over the booming of my weapon. The weapon wavered, and splintered trees and blew holes in the ground, reminding me of the fact that I had only shot my father's shotgun several times in my life, and that I was not a proficient shot.

The creature snarled and turned towards me as the first three shotgun shells found their marks. The two before them had missed, blowing holes in the scenery around me. The alien screamed an inhuman roar in rage. Smirking in anger as I loaded another weapon into the chamber, I began to laugh manically as I fired the weapon.

"Oh, is that it, huh? Want some of this?" I challenged as I fired at the creature. As the creature staggered under the blows of my shotgun, the weapon stopped firing, revealing the ringing noise in my ears. Pulling the trigger, I realized the worst had happened; the shotgun had run out of shells. Like the anti-climatic scene in an obscure action movie, the weapon clicked empty as I desperately searched my back pockets for that clip of extra shells I had probably forgotten. My fears were proved correct as my back pockets produced an old bubble gum wrapper and a set of keys to the house. I gulped and slowly backed up as the shimmer rose to it's feet, walking slowly towards me menacingly.

"Oh, crap" I groaned as I backpedaled away from the threat. It seemed to mock me, slowly and deliberately putting one foot in front of the other. Turning to run, I suddenly felt the ground rush up quickly. I had tripped over my fallen shotgun.

"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no!" I screamed angrily as the creature towered over me. The yellow eyes bored into my head as the creature prepared to strike. I knew that this was the end. Shutting my eyes, I hoped that this would not hurt much. My life flashed before my eyes; playing in the streets of Brooklyn as a five year old child, visiting my grandfather's farm at seven, my return to Mineral Town thirteen years later.

The faces of all of my friends in town flashed before my eyes. Zack, when we had first met all those years ago. Karen and Rick, the geek and the alcoholic. Mary and Grey, the bookworm and the blacksmith's grandson. And my wife, Ann, the bartender's assistant and daughter. The memory of when we first met those many years ago, when we were still children, played like an old black and white movie before my eyes.

A roar of pain broke my chain of memories. It sounded, loud, and echoed through the mountains. Opening my eyes, I realized that I wasn't dead. And more importantly, the creature standing over me had a massive spear protruding from its side. Green ichor gushed from the wound, spraying everywhere as the creature thrashed in pain. A small line protruded from the end of the spear; it led back to a fishing speargun. And holding the speargun was…

"Zack!" I exclaimed happily. He was clutching his side and had a massive gash across his forehead, but otherwise looked alright.

"Grab your gun and let's go! I don't think this is enough to stop this thing!" Zack exclaimed as the creature began to reach for the spear embedded in its side. To my surprise, it tore the offending weapon out of it's side and snapped it in half with an angry roar of agony. A crackle of electricity accompanied the shimmer melting away, to reveal…something in it's place. A huge, hulking creature, easily taller and stronger looking than even Zack, appeared, prone, clutching the remains of the spear. A metal mask adorned the creature's head, and the two eyesockets glowed yellow, the same, cruel yellow that had been the end of Rick and my farm.

"Let's go! Run!" Zack yelled. I didn't need a second urge; I turned quickly, grabbing Zack's wrist, and ran. The irony of the situation appeared to me as Zack grabbed my wrist as he surged ahead; Zack was many times stronger and faster than I was, despite my long work hours and excellent physical condition. Even wounded, he was still faster than I was. Panting heavily, we dashed through the brush and foliage of the forest. The heavy footsteps of the alien behind us spurred us on like horses under the whip; we quickly doubled our speed. The thing still followed.

The chase continued for a good five minutes. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins as we fled. We didn't even care if the thing was right behind us; we just knew we had to run faster. Finally, we reached the path in front of the Harvest Spring and the Spring Mines. The hot spring, and Barley, waited for us. We must have been quite a sight; me, covered in green blood and foliage, looking half dead, and Zack, arms outstretched, dragging me, blood smeared all over his pristine white shirt, deranged, almost foaming at the mouth. Barley fainted at the sight of us.

Wheeling around quickly, we scanned the woods for any sign of that creature, following us. The woods were tranquil, silent, broken only by our raggedy breathing. Zack and I looked at each other, nodded, and immediately fainted.

-

The Yajuta warrior, panting for breath, stopped at the edge of the woods and beheld the humans as they lay unconscious in the open. He could easily kill them, strike them down with a flick of a wrist…

No. that would be a dishonorable kill. And to kill without honor to a Yajuta was worse than not killing at all. The Yajuta retracted his wristblades and observed the two unconscious humans with a mixture of interest and humor. Humans were…amusing prey, at best. The humans looked almost triumphant in their deep sleep, as if they had won.

Victory. A thing the humans would never taste against a Yajuta. Never again.

-

"Jack? Jack? Oh, god Jack, please, don't be dead…!" the crying voice of my dear wife pierced the dark, numb confines of my mental prison like a shaft of light; the world slowly came into focus. Ann hovered over me, the desperate look in her eyes replaced by unadulterated joy. Cliff, holding our son, smiled at me in the background. Tim, leaning over me, grinned as I sat up.

"How do you feel?" he asked. I groaned.

"I feel like I got into a drinking match with Karen…and lost". I hadn't actually been in any drinking contests with her in my stay in Mineral Town, but I had witnessed the legendary battle between Karen and Duke…in which Duke, the winery owner, lost.

"That bad, huh?" he smirked. Ann hugged me, squeezing my ribs tightly. I gagged, and darkness ebbed back into my vision, threatening to send me back into unconsiousness again.

"Stop, Ann! He's alright- don't squeeze him like that, now, he might faint again…" Tim admonished. Ann giggled and smiled at me. I managed to weakly smile back before turning to look at Zack. Elli was crouched over him, fanning him with a paper fan while trying to put a cold compress on his sweaty forehead. Zack didn't budge; he looked dead.

"Is Zack…?" I mumbled, but Tim shook his head, guessing my question.

"He's not dead, if that's what you're asking. He's got a concussion and some internal bleeding, a torn Achilles tendon, and some broken ribs. I'm surprised you two made it this far, in your condition" Tim stated.

"What do you mean? I'm…ARGH!" I exclaimed as I tried to lift my arm, only to have a horrible, searing pain shoot through it. I almost didn't want to look, but, out of curiosity, I did anyway. And was horrified by what I saw.

My arm and hand was a charred, blackened mess. The skin was blackened, peeling. I could see the red muscle underneath. Tim sighed and shook his head.

"The damage isn't that extensive. There's no muscle damage that I can tell, but several layers of skin have been completely burned off, and it will be painful as it heals. Your arm will be fine in a couple of weeks" Tim sighed.

"A couple of weeks!" I exclaimed angrily.

"Yes. Whatever did that to your arm must have been hotter than a frying pan outside on a hot summer day, because it burned some of the flesh off outright. The stress of handling a shotgun must have also hurt" Tim admonished.

"How did you know I was shooting my gun? Were you there?" I asked. Tim shook his head.

"A shotgun is pretty audible over a quiet forest. Harris and I made for your position as fast as we could, and found you by the hot spring, passed out. We called the others, and they're here now" Tim said, motioning towards Elli, Grey and Mary, Doug and Harris. Elli was tending to Zack and Barley, Grey and Mary were talking with Harris, and Doug was standing over me, a forced smile on his face. I could see the worry behind his eyes, though.

"What were you doing out there? Ann kept telling me that you'd fill me in…" Doug began. It then occurred to me that the town was still uninformed of Rick's demise, save the ones that had been there, Thomas, Tim, Elli, Harris and Zack.

"It's a long story, sir, so I'll spare the details. Last night, we were at Mother's Hill, watching the stars. After we left, something…I guess the best thing I can say is that the woods seemed to come alive, and it took Rick. Something, maybe some kind of spirit or alien or something, took Rick, attacked my farm, and killed all of my chickens. We went searching for Rick today, and we were attacked…by something. I don't know what it was. I think whatever it is has some kind of mystical powers; it fired some kind of heat-ray at me and Zack, and did this to my arm. Whatever it is is still out there, waiting…watching" I moaned, the image of those yellow eyes surfacing in my mind once again. Doug's eyebrow arched.

"Had it come from anyone else, Jack, I'd think they were crazy. But, since Tim, Harris, and the others agree…what do you propose we do?"

I smiled as the words formed in my mouth.

"Simple. We're sending in the Marines".


	4. The Marines

**Author's Note: **Parts of this chapter spawn from my studies of the Korean War, Vietnam, and the conflict in Somalia, so graphicly depicted in the movie "Black Hawk Down". Cliff has a horrible past, and the last marine isn't what some would define as normal, really. Also, I've been watching Aliens too much, as my incorporation of…well, you'll see soon enough!

**Prey to a Hunter**

**Chapter IV:**

**The Marines**

_Incident+ 131 Hours. Fall 16th, Year 5_

The shiny Black Hawk military helicopter circled twice over Rose Square before deploying a rope out of its side door. Harris had signaled the mainland military base after we had been taken back into town, and three days later the Marines had arrived. The black hawk proudly displayed the eagle, the classic symbol of the Marine Corps, on the open side door as the first marine slid down the rope. One after another, the seven marines, each wearing green fatigues with some kind of titanium breast plate strapped to their chests, hustled down the rope.

One by one, the Marines assembled in a long line. Four males and three females composed the squad of burly soldiers, and two more men slid down the rope. One was tall and angry looking, with a large cigar sticking out of his jaw. The other was dressed in black, and wore dark sunglasses. He looked like some kind of government agent. What was a government agent doing traveling with a squad of marines?

"Sound off!" the cigar marine shouted.

"Private Stacker, reporting for duty, SIR!" cried the first marine. He looked young, no older than I was. Bright brown eyes stared into the crowd. I knew that this Marine was too young to be serving in the military at all, much less fighting that…thing in the woods. A massive pack was slung across his shoulders, and the weapon he carried looked like no weapon I had ever seen before. It looked like some kind of advanced Thompson M1A1 weapon, based on the picture of Saibara wielding the weapon in his WWII Army picture. A small LCD ammunition counter adorned the side of the weapon, which was painted some kind of olive drab color. Something that looked like a shotgun or grenade launcher of some sort was attached to the underside of the weapon; it looked very deadly.

"SIR! Private Shiro, awaiting orders!" the Marine shouted. She looked about thirty, still young. She looked Japanese, but I really couldn't tell because of the sun glaring off of her helmet. Her weapon was the same as the one wielded by the first, and a massive, square, metallic object was strapped to her back. It looked like a radio or something. Her green eyes were cold, as if they had seen enough death to last a lifetime.

"Private Jenkins! Show me what'cha got!" the next marine boasted. This man was huge, easily a foot taller than even Zack. Bulging muscles supported a massive, elongated weapon. It looked like a long stick of shiny, pointy metal, nothing more. An eyepiece extended from the weapon's stock into the Marine's helmet visor, and as the weapon's safety clicked on, I realized that this marine was armed with pinnacle technology not even in service in the front lines. What the hell were we dealing with to warrant such experimental technology? I had read magazine articles about weapons such as this, calling them "Smartguns", with the ability to track moving targets and disregard those marked as "Friendlies" via the HUD on the Marine's helmet. What the hell was one of these mobile fire bases doing in Mineral Town?

"Private Takatura! Bring it on, SIR!" the second female Marine shouted. Wisps of red hair and bright blue eyes poked out from under her helmet, and I instantly saw Ann's face smiling at me from under the Marine's helmet. Ann obviously noticed the similarities as well, because her eyes widened in surprise and she tensed next to me. I groaned; my arm, bandaged in a sling, still stung badly. Ann smiled apologetically at me as the next marine sounded off;

"Private Larsen! I came here to do two things, SIR! Chew gum and kick ass! And I'm all out of gum!" I recognized the quote from some obscure book or movie I had seen long ago, but didn't remember which. The Marine wore a big tank of some sort on his back, and as I gazed at the tube connecting it to the Marine's weapon, I realized it was a flamethrower. That thing could torch all of Mineral Town! The Marine seemed indifferent to this, however, and playfully activated the primer flame for the weapon. In the flickering light, I could see the destruction of my beloved town. Ann saw me bristling with rage, and laid an arm on my shoulder.

"You've done what you could. Let's let these people do what they can do, and hope it's enough" she comforted me. I still angrily glared at the marine's weapon before a quiet voice behind me asked,

"Hey. Is this yours?"

It was Cliff, holding Charlie, our son. Ann smiled at him and took Charlie from his arms. Cliff had big, black bags under his eyes, and looked exhausted, but still managed to smile at me as I thanked him for watching Charlie for us.

"Was Charlie nice to you? He didn't keep you up all night, right?" I asked. I supposed I looked no better than Cliff did, with my arm in a sling and my hair awry. My traditional cap and rucksack were at home, next to the Remington 87 recovered by Harris during his patrol through the woods. I must have dropped it in my flight from the alien. I now kept a box of shells on hand. If that thing came near me again, I would be ready, ready with enough firepower to turn that little bastard into Swiss cheese.

The next Marine screamed;

"PRIVATE NICKSON, REPORTING FOR DUTY!" He looked like a new recruit, obviously fresh and ready to please. The weapon he carried looked bigger than he was. The boy didn't look any older than fourteen, and I was surprised to see the long "Smartgun" from before cradled in the boy's tiny arms. He staggered slightly under the weight of the huge weapon

The Marine sergeant smiled at the boy.

"I like you, son. Glad to have you along"

I arched an eyebrow. So this sergeant didn't even get to select his team? Apparently, both sides had been in the dark on this op. I was surprised. As I saw the agent standing in the background, silently observing the marines, I wondered what his purpose in this operation was. He impassively stared back at me through his dark sunglasses.

The last Marine stood at rigid attention. Her yellow, almost cat-like eyes surveyed us all with distrust and fear. Her fingers tightly gripped the handle of a futuristic looking assault rifle, and what looked like a big, green didgeridoo was strapped to her back. Her stance was almost cat-like in nature, and what little of her hair I could see through her helmet was short and looked almost like the fur of a cat.

The sergeant stopped when he saw her. Quietly, he leaned to her and whispered something. She shook her head, and the sergeant nodded. He turned to address his Marines.

"Alright, boys and girls! I know your commanders didn't have time to brief you before we left, because I sure as hell wasn't told I was getting assigned this motley crew!" he yelled, earning a grin from several of the Marines.

"Sir?" came the voice of the flamethrower marine, Larsen.

"What is it, Private?" the sergeant barked.

"What the hell are we doing in this shithole of a town?" he snickered.

I could almost feel the veins popping out of my forehead. Ann looked indignantly at the Marine; he glared contemptuously back.

"What we're here for is to check out some kind of disturbance. HQ wasn't very clear, but maybe these people could tell us what's going on" the sergeant said, motioning towards us. Thomas spoke first.

"Good afternoon…marines" he began, placing emphasis on the word "marines". The marines snorted at Thomas indifferently, and Thomas bristled.

"Jack here can tell the story better than I can. Go ahead, Jack!" he motioned, barely retaining his disgust of the Marines. Stepping forward angrily, I began,

"Listen up. I'll tell you all that I know. Four nights ago, as I was walking with a group of my friends down from the summit behind you, we were attacked by something. I'm not sure what it was. It devastated my farm, destroyed my crops, and killed my chickens! And on top of that, it took one of my best friends, Rick. We haven't found a body yet, but we're sure he's dead" I began.

-

"Shithole"

The Yautja warrior played back the human's voice and added it to his diolouge of human voices. Watching the brown-headed human speak in front of the human warriors, the warrior felt a sense of anger rush through him. He had caused him wounds that were still healing, and damaged the warrior's cloaking device. The device still worked, but for very short intervals of only about one klerton, which roughly translated as five human minutes. A blink of an eye for a warrior.

The Yautja considered jumping into the center of the human formation and attacking all of them, wiping them all out. But that wouldn't be sporting; the humans were unprepared, and unafraid in the presence of their warriors. Besides, picking the human warriors off one by one would be much more…sinister.

The Yautja snickered and activated it's cloaking device. One klerton was enough for the warrior to slip away, a rustling in the trees the only testament to it's existence.

-

The tree above me rustled slightly as I finished my story of the past week's events to the marines. They all had skeptical looks on their faces, except for the agent, who walked forward and asked, surprising everyone in the crowd with his monotonous voice,

"What was the creature like?

"It was big. Very big. I didn't see much of it, but those eyes…those horrible eyes…!" I exclaimed, shuddering at the memory of the yellow eyes boring into my soul. The last marine looked at me in surprise before staring down again. I could have sworn her eyes were glowing, but it was mid-afternoon, so it must be some kind of sun glare. Shaking my head, I listened to the marine sergeant struggle for words.

"Alright, everyone! We'll be staying at this town's Inn until this is all solved out". I flashed a look of pity towards Doug, who sighed and hung his head; the prospect of housing and cooking for these Marines wasn't exactly the best thing that could happen to a man, really. He gloomily stalked back off to the Inn.

As the Marines filed away, the last marine hesitated, looked me in the eye, and walked over to us. Ann questioningly stared at me, and I shrugged in response.

"You. Jack. You said the creature had a metal mask? And yellow, glowing eyes? Were they always glowing, or did they only flash yellow?" she asked. I nodded.

"They would flash quickly, only for periods of a second or two. And yes, there was a metal facemask on this thing. Why?" I asked, perplexed. She shook her head.

"Nothing. It's nothing. We'll do our best, sir" she said, turning briskly on the heel and leaving. I stared after her in confusion, and turned to leave.

"Bye, Cliff! Thanks for watching Charlie!" Ann called over her shoulder. Cliff, dragging his feet along, nodded, and hauled himself away to the Inn. I watched him go, sighed, and marched off with Ann towards our home.

-

Cliff sighed as he walked back towards his room at the Inn, hoping desperately that the Marines didn't get to it first. If they did…Cliff was in a world of hurt. He had a past with the Marine Corps…and it wasn't the prettiest.

_Cliff stood at the edge of the devastated town of Somalia. It was over; the attack was over. His squad had won, for the time being. The bloody liars, claiming to be peacekeepers, were defeated. Cliff slung his weapon, a semi- automatic UZI submachine weapon, stolen from an armory to the southwest, over his shoulder and turned to leave. _

_Then she dashed out in front of him. _

Cliff didn't want to remember any more. He didn't want to remember his days as a killer-for hire, a simple mercenary. All of that was behind him now. He would never kill again. That was the reason why Cliff was a frequent visitor to Carter's church; Cliff knew he could never be forgiven for the blood that stained his soul, but he could at least beg forgiveness from the souls he had ruthlessly slaughtered during the conflict in Somalia. Never again.

As Cliff marched into his room, he was surprised to see it empty. He half expected a squad of marines to be overwhelming the Inn. They weren't here yet; this gave Cliff his chance. He reached down into the floorboards and removed an old, dusty book and two long packages. Cliff grimaced when the first one fell open, to reveal a long, curved katana, complete with a sheath. He didn't want to remember anymore; the hilt and sheath were stained with brown blood stains, reminding Cliff of the many he had executed with the weapon. No.

"What are you doing?" came a voice from behind Cliff. Cliff jumped three feet in the air and scrambled to hide the katana; it was one of the Marines, and if she recognized the weapon as belonging to one of the Somalian fighters at the infamous military fiasco decades before…

"That's an impressive weapon. Where did you get it?" the marine asked. Cliff stammered for words.

"Umm…it's kind of a long story…heh…you see…" Cliff began. The Marine shrugged.

"It's nothing. My mother had told me stories…forget it" the Marine murmured. Cliff relaxed slightly; this Marine had not been at Somalia after all. He picked the sword back up and placed it back into it's long package.

"Do you have a room? I'll clear out if…" Cliff offered.

"I would appreciate that. The others have taken over all of the other rooms, and besides, I don't trust them" she said, surprising Cliff.

"What? Aren't you all from the same unit?" he asked in surprise. She shook her head.

"No. I was assigned to this mission and pulled from my original unit. Maybe because of my condition…?" she began, but instantly held a hand over her mouth, regretting what she had said. Cliff's curiosity was sparked.

"What do you mean? I don't mean to pry or anything…"

She looked around, as if expecting hordes of eavesdropping people to come rushing from all around to hear her secret. As she leaned closer to Cliff and opened her mouth to speak, a loud smashing noise and a scream emanated from downstairs. The Marine snapped her head up and rushed downstairs, swinging her rifle in a wide arc to cover the room. Cliff dropped his boxes and followed closely behind.

Manna stood, staring stock still, staring into the trees outside of the Inn. The Marines had all now arrived, and pointed their weapons this way and that. Duke was staring into the trees as well, looking incredulously at the same spot that Manna was gazing at. His eyebrow was arched, as if he didn't believe what he had seen.

"Duke! Manna! What happened?" Cliff yelled, rushing up to Manna first. She stared blankly at Cliff before she fainted. Cliff rushed forward to catch her, but Duke held up his hand.

"Don't…she'll be fine…I'll take her home…" he indistinctly growled, picking up Manna. Cliff noted that his eyes kept darting back to the trees. There was nothing there.


	5. Stalker

Author's Note: Yes, I'm back! This chapter was hard to write, and I feel I got some things wrong somehow. Anyway…I hate Duke. Simple as that. Karen's Green Heart Event was hilarious ( I was actually cheering after Duke lost. My friends started looking at me in an odd way for some reason or another ). Anyway, enjoy! DBZ crossover fic incoming!

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter V

Stalker

_Incident+179 Hours. Fall 18th, Year 5_

I sighed as Charlie continued to bawl in his crib. Ann shook her head and held her hands over her ears.

"What's wrong, Charlie? Is someone upset?" I asked, trying to calm him down. A pair of blue eyes stared at me, and then continued to cry even louder. I winced. Revan whimpered and held her tail between her legs, and Malak was running in circles, almost in agony.

"Do you think he's upset by your arm? Can he smell the damage done?" Ever since my arm had been bandaged in the sling, it had reeked of ozone and charred flesh. It was unavoidable, and even the dogs wouldn't approach me now.

In disgust, I shook the cast, and small fragments of charred flesh fell out. Whatever had done this to my arm wasn't human; days after the damage had been done, there had been no improvements whatsoever. It was very disgusting, and Ann had taken over the task of watching over the animals in the barn and harvesting the crops, with help, of course, from the Harvest Sprites, who almost seemed to adore us as a couple.

As if they had been reading my thoughts, four tiny Sprites filed into our home. Red, green, purple and yellow hats bobbed up and down as they bowed slightly. Knowing to return the favor, I tried to bow, but fell as a new shockwave of pain shot through my arm.

"It's alright, budum. We understand" they chimed as I tried to bow again, only to almost miss crushing Revan under me.

"Good morning, everyone. Ready to get to work?" Ann asked. They nodded earnestly. Ann smiled, a sad smile, and walked outside, swinging my hoe and watering can over her shoulder.

The green sprite, Timid, hesitated for a moment and walked over to me.

"What is it?" I asked. He glanced around and said,

"I know what that thing is, budum" he murmured. I gasped.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, budum. You see…" Timid began, before Ann stuck her head back in.

"Hey, Timid! You coming?" she asked. He looked at me with his soulful eyes and walked outside.

"Just be careful, budum" he whispered before running outside. I wanted to hold him back, and have him explain further, but thought against it. If this thing had been to Mineral Town before, then, hopefully we could stop it now, before anything else happened.

I walked into town, intent on visiting Doug and see how he and the Marines were holding up. Doug was standing outside, mopping up what looked like a broken bottle of wine. I greeted him and asked him what had happened.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Someone spilled this bottle of wine. It looks like it was done yesterday, like whoever did it picked up and left really quickly. So, Jack, what's up? How's Ann?" he asked, smiling.

"We're both doing fine. How are our 'protectors' doing?" I asked, putting emphasis on the word protectors.

"At least they're quiet. Some of them are polite, but that one…Larsen, I think his name was, is a complete and utter pig" Doug growled.

"He spilled a keg of beer and expected me to clean up after him, like a maid. At least that last one, the one with short hair, is quiet enough…too quiet, I think. She's staying with Cliff…I doubt they're doing anything, though!" he guffawed heartily as he saw my expression of horror. The horrible image of Cliff...doing…I shuddered and ceased all trains of thought.

As if signaled by some divine influence, Cliff stumbled down the stairs. His hair was messy, but he at least looked like he had gotten some sleep, unlike yesterday. I cringed when I thought of Charlie's almost demonic screaming. And right behind Cliff marched a long procession of Marines.

"Move it, people! That's it! What are we waiting for, sweethearts? Breakfast in bed? HAH! Double time! Go! Go! Go! Come on, now!", the sergeant barked as him men filed down the stairs. Doug was at least prepared, for there were seven huge plates of pancakes laid out at the bar. The Marines sat down eagerly and began to wolf down the food.

I laughed silently to myself as the tiny marine, Nickson, tried to eat a pancake that was easily bigger than he was. Splattering syrup all over his tank top, he opened his mouth wider than I thought possible and inhaled the food. It looked almost comical as he licked his lips and sighed happily.

The other marines weren't as cute looking or neat. Larsen's pile of plates rose higher and higher as the seconds passed. Doug looked exasperated as he served the millionth plate of food to the hungry marine. The marine that reminded me of Ann, Takatura or something, had similar eating habits to my beloved wife. In other words, she ate like a pig. The food seemed to teleport into her mouth as Doug frantically tried to satisfy her and Larsen at the same time.

Finally, Larsen and Takatura burped loudly for the final time before setting down their forks and knives. Smiling and slapping each other on the back, they hoisted their weapons and moved out to the Town Square to collect volunteers to help them on their search for Rick. As much as I wanted to go, I knew I couldn't, at least in my current condition.

Zack, his head wrapped in a bandage, leaned on a lamp post as the Marines selected new volunteers for the expedition to find Rick and destroy whatever had taken him. Tim was hovering close by, a stoic expression on his face. I nodded at both of them as I saw the Marines take the first volunteers.

Looking around, I noticed the man in the black suit, the one I assumed was a government agent, scowling at me from under a dark lamppost in the background. No one seemed to notice him, like he was invisible.

"We'll be sending out the first patrol this evening. Until then, everyone, continue business as usual. By eight o' clock, lock all doors and windows and don't venture outside. Got it, everyone?" the sergeant barked. The townsfolk nodded. The sergeant turned on his heel and addressed his troops;

"Alright, boys and girls! When I joined the Corps, we didn't have any kind of super-vehicle to cater to our every whim! When we wanted something, we had to haul ass to HQ to go get it! So, make like I did and HAUL ASS! MOVE IT, people!" he yelled. The Marines began their sweep of the town and the outskirts of Mineral Town, including my farm. Bidding farewell to Zack and Tim, I headed back home.

Ann was sitting on top of a stump in my field, tears running down her face. Surprised, I ran up to her. She was holding a shovel, and the ground around her looked like it had recently been disturbed.

"What happened?" I asked anxiously.

"I had to. The bodies…they were spread everywhere…the animals…all dead…" Ann moaned before sobbing harder. I was surprised at Ann's emotional outburst. I had never seen her grieving this badly, or even just acting like this, since when she was pregnant with Charlie. Could it be that she was…no, it couldn't. Ann's monthly physical would have noted if she was pregnant again.

"What happened? Did something get into the barn?" I asked, already guessing the answer.

"Jack…I'm sorry. When we went into the barn to feed the animals…it was a massacre. Blood was everywhere. The remains of some of the animals were still there, though. They looked weird…like something blasted them apart at the last moment. Take a look inside" Ann gestured, pointing sadly towards the barn.

The barn was reminiscent of the chicken coop. Blood stained the walls, as if something had come in and feasted on my animals. A huge scorch mark was on the wall, and the roasted remains of my one cow, Bastila I recognized, lay on the ground. The pattern on her fur was matted with blood, and a huge hole blasted in her side suggested she hadn't even seen the attack coming.

Examining the wound, the flesh around the wound was charred and blackened, yet didn't look like it had been blasted open with conventional explosives. If there had been explosives used we probably would have heard them, anyway. In fact, the wound looked almost fused, like whatever fired the shot was so hot, it fused the wound again after it hit.

Just like my arm. In horror, I realized that the alien warrior had struck again. The stink of burning flesh filled my nostrils as I sprinted outside.

"When did you find this?" I asked Ann.

"This morning, after you left. I opened the barn door to feed the animals…and…oh my god, it was horrible! All the animals dead, the stink…the stink, it was revolting" Ann moaned, turning a hideous shade of green. She wobbled unsteadily, and I rushed forwards to aid her.

"Maybe we should go to the clinic. Sit tight, I'll go lock down the house" I told Ann, firmly setting her down on a stump in the field and running back towards the house. Opening the door, I put Charlie in his crib. His bright blue eyes stared into mine as I put him down in his crib. Revan was curled up in the corner, and Malak was lapping up water from his dish. I locked the door and windows, and set out with Ann to the clinic.

"Ohh, I don't feel so good…Jack, I think I'm going to be sick" Ann groaned as we approached the town.

"We'll stop here. If you have to throw up, you can do it in the brush. I'll be here" I told her. Ann nodded gratefully before sprinting off towards the brush. The horrible vomiting noises stopped after a minute or two, and Ann re-emerged from the bush. Wiping her mouth, Ann nodded at me as we continued forwards into the town.

A rustling in the bush behind us made me jump and reach into my pack. I grabbed the handle of my axe, and quickly threw the weapon at the moving undergrowth. My aim was less than perfect, even worse than my aim with the shotgun. The axe spun in an uncontrollable arc and imbedded itself into a tree as Private Stacker and Jenkins emerged from the bush. Jenkins' eyes darted to my extended arm and the quivering axe handle in the tree five inches away from his nose, and remarked,

"Now, if I wanted a nose job, I'll go pay for one. Thought's appreciated, though" he smirked, handing me back my axe. The huge weapon, his smartgun, tracked the motion of my hand as it extended outwards to grab the handle of my axe.

"She's a beauty, isn't she? Name's Big Bertha. Not really original, but it still fits" he shrugged. Sensing the look of apprehension on my face, he added,

"Bertha here won't fire unless I pull the handle, like this. See?" he said, pointing towards what looked like a bike handle brake at the end of the weapon. It looked like it could be squeezed together, like a bike brake.

"We'll be on our way, now. We're going to the clinic" I said, turning to leave.

"We'll go with you. Those two, the winery owners, claim to have seen something last night at around this time. Their story sounds like the thing that attacked you, Jack. We'll just escort you there. Our patrol's done; we were heading back" Stacker offered. I gladly accepted.

As we marched along, the trees above us rustled ominously. Glancing nervously around, even the marines looked a tad bit uncomfortable. Every movement of the trees seemed to be that invisible predator, coming around for the final attack. Every shadow seemed to shimmer in the night air, like the camouflage of the creature as it swooped in for the kill. I shuddered at my memory of the creature and pressed on, trying to go as fast as possible without tiring Ann, who looked exhausted and very sick. The night seemed to leer at us as we continued towards the clinic.

Manna sighed and went to bed. She could have sworn something was looking at her from outside of her window, but she wasn't sure what it was, if anything at all.

Duke, her husband, was watching TV while sipping a beer. Their relationship of about twenty two years was uneasy at best. Duke was apathetic to some of Manna's problems, and Manna, at least Duke claimed, was a chatterbox.

Something had been following Manna. Even though she would look over her shoulder and there would be nothing there, she still felt like there was something watching her, stalking her. She had felt this before, about two years before that nice farmer, Jack, came. During that year, and about five years before that, too, when Manna had first came to Mineral Town, there had been some…mysterious disappearances in the townsfolk.

One had been a man named Greg, a fisherman friend of Zack's. He had been an avid collector of everything fish-related. His only reason for coming to Mineral Town in the first place was to catch some kind of legendary fish rare everywhere else. One day, during a very hot summer, just like this one, he had gone into the woods and simply vanished. There had been no trace of the man, except for a dark, bloody smear on a tree trunk, found by Harris. It could have just been a wounded deer or an escaped chicken, but it could have been the final trace of Greg the fisherman.

Another missing person was Louis, a very close friend of Gotz. He had disappeared in the year before Jack had arrived in Mineral Town. He had been, like Greg, an avid bug collector. Manna remembered the man as being huge, tall, and very strong, just like Gotz. Gotz had considered taking Louis as his partner before Louis, one hot, summer day, just like Greg and Rick, disappeared without a trace. Gotz had found nothing except the remains of a net, which looked badly charred and singed, like a white-hot inferno had passed over it. Their remains had never been found.

As Manna closed her eyes, she felt a presence sit on the left side of the bed and pull the covers off of her. Duke, the arrogant bastard, stealing the covers like that. Manna kicked at Duke, hoping to at least stun him. Whatever she hit wasn't human, because it felt cold, like metal. An iron grip wound round her ankle, and pulled her upright. It certainly wasn't Duke as Manna's eyes flew open in surprise.

A pair of yellow eyes glared at her, floating in mid-air. They were more like two, glowing yellow dots than eyes. The thing growled and chuckled, and Manna realized the thing was translucent, and she could see right through it. Blood painted the walls of the room behind her, and Duke's body was slumped across the floor. He looked like he was sleeping, save the massive, gaping hole in his backside, that was spraying blood all over the floor.

"I'll take her home" Duke's voice rang, distorted, from the shimmer in front of Manna. Manna opened her mouth and screamed for all she was worth as the thing leapt out of her window.

A scream startled me as we neared the clinic. Jenkins hesitated before saying,

"I'll go check it out. Go on ahead" he motioned to Stacker. The scream had come from the winery.

"We're here. Tim, are you still up? Tim?" I called. No answer. Ann's eyes nervously darted left and right, like mine, glinting in the darkness. I noticed her shallow breathing and pale face, and was beginning to really worry.

"Maybe they're asleep?" I queried, trying to break some of the tension in the air. Stacker slammed his fist into the window three times. Nobody stirred.

"Elli?" Ann called into the deserted clinic. The silence was unnerving.

A loud scream pierced the crisp night air. Ann jumped, my good hand flew towards my pack, and Stacker rolled and dropped into a combat stance, rifle raised. His eyes seemed to glow green because of the vision enhancers built into his helmet, and they scanned the darkness, looking for any sign of motion.

"Get inside. Quickly!" Tim yelled, Elli trailing along behind him. Elli was desperately helping Tim stuff medical equipment back into his bag, and as he fumbled with the keys for the lock, the sound of automatic gunfire pierced the night, startling all of us. Stacker looked like a prarie dog, poised to run.

"Stay here. I'll go check it out!" he instructed, inserting a grenade into the grenade launcher under his rifle and pumping the stock. He sprinted towards the sounds of weapons fire. Several bright muzzle flashes illuminated the town for a split second before dying out. The flashes momentarily blinded me, and I felt Tim yank me inside of the clinic, slamming the door and locking it fast behind him.

"Sorry about that. We got an urgent call from Barley just now. He told us May had found Lillia on the floor in her house. She wasn't breathing. She's alive, but just unconscious. We'll be back in the morning. What brings you here at this time of night?" Tim asked. I motioned to Ann.

"Ann's feeling sick. I don't know what's wrong, but it seems urgent" I began. Elli nodded at Ann and led her into the examination room, while I sat down and tried to ignore the distant sounds of gunfire crackling in the distance.

Manna screamed as the thing carrying her hoisted her above its head as a Marine drew into view. He was carrying a long weapon, and when he saw Manna, seemingly floating in midair, he opened fire, screaming,

"SERGEANT!" he bellowed into his throat mike as he pumped round after round into the shimmering menace. The first dozen shots splintered the doorframe as the creature leapt away.

Two tracer bullets, glowing in the darkness, shot past Manna's head. Manna screamed loudly and flailed, and more bullets whizzed past her ears as the creature almost flew into the trees. Trees exploded and birds fled as another marine began to lay down a hellish crossfire, shredding trees and fencing. None of the shots found their marks, though, as the invisible predator descended into darkness, Manna kicking and screaming all the way.


	6. Telepathy

Author's Note: This was an extremely hard chapter to write, and I'm hoping I didn't go over the top with Ann's dream sequence (I probably did. Grr…), but I still felt I had to include it to add some tension to the story, and to give the Predator a new ability. The predator's ability is the only reason for the sequence, and I feel that the sequence is a little too harsh, yet necessary for plot tension and the like. And Panzer IV, since my link to a site that shows my advanced Thompson didn't work, the weapon I was referring to was the M41A Pulse Rifle from the movie "Aliens". And I had intended chapter Seven (One Down) to be next, but then I cooked up an idea about a Predator that could...well, the story tells all. One Down is next, yay! Warning: cursing ahead.

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter VI

Telepathy

_Incident+191 Hours. Fall 18th, Year 5_

Private Jenkins cursed as he depressed the firing lever of his M56ATS "Smartgun" and spat bullets at an odd shimmer in the air. The massive slugs, about the size of Jenkins' finger, blasted apart the doorframe and window. The bullets didn't even phase the creature, though, which promptly carried it's prey, the winery owner's wife, out of the window. She kicked and screamed, making Jenkins relent on his assault. What if he hit her by mistake?

Private Stacker showed up next to Jenkins, firing his M41A Pulse Rifle in short, controlled bursts at the creature. The thing hesitated, like it was going to strike, and backed off, leaping into the trees. By this time, the rest of the Marines had arrived, looking around for signs of battle. Jenkins saw that the odd marine, the one with eyes that could see in the dark, wasn't present. Jenkins had served with her once before; on a covert op in the middle of a jungle somewhere in Brazil, checking out a scenario similar to this one. Villagers had gone missing, their skinned remains hung from branches and some missing their skulls and spines.

And one night, a thing, similar to this one, had shown up. And that night, she had spoken to it. Somehow forcing it to back off, she had spoken in some kind of odd alien tongue, forcing the creature to retreat. When he asked her about it, she didn't know what he was talking about. Jenkins had shrugged it off.

Jenkins cursed as the creature disappeared from the cannon's tracking range. Tearing off the sensitive equipment in anger, Jenkins fired a short burst of cannon fire into the trees, shredding the treetops.

"What was that thing, Jenkins?" Stacker asked, a look of skepticism on his young face. Only Jenkins and the other marine had seen that thing; Jenkins had a nagging suspicion that the mysterious marine and this…predator, of sorts, were intertwined, intricately somehow, in ways he couldn't see. That government agent, the sergeant calling him "Smith", probably had a role in this entire thing as well.

"I don't know, to tell the truth. But whatever the hell it is, it's way tougher that we are; do you know anything that can survive the wrath of this?" Jenkins queried, patting the Smartgun's smoking barrel. The weapon lay inert and silent.

"Go to the clinic. See if the couple, Jack and Ann, are alright. Escort them home, if need be. Then report back to the Inn. Move it, soldier!" Jenkins ordered. Stacker obeyed, slamming a new clip into his rifle and marching into the darkness. Like it would make any difference at all; that creature had the ability to soak up bullets like water. So what would a small rifle do to a creature that seemed invincible?

-

Ann walked out of the examination room as I sat on the edge of my seat, literally gripping the edge.

"Well? What is it?" I asked in anxiety. Elli staggered out of the examination room after Ann. She looked exhausted; dark bags had formed under her eyes, and Tim didn't look any better. He looked like the effort of staring at me was difficult, and every word he spoke seemed pained.

"It's too late to tell, really. We've taken some urine and blood samples, and they'll be ready in the morning. Just come back tomorrow, Jack" Tim mumbled before falling over, already asleep. Elli supported Tim as he fell; with an apologetic look in her face, she ushered us out into the darkness. Private Stacker sprinted up to us, his face livid.

"Jack! Do you require…an escort?" he asked uncertainly. I mulled the thought over for a split second, and nodded.

"Yeah, marine. Let's go. Did you hit whatever you were firing at?" I asked, knowing full well what they had been shooting at. Stacker shook his head.

"Nothing. Three Marines with these," he began, showing off his exotic-looking weapon, "and an auto-tracking mobile fire base couldn't take whatever the hell that thing was down. I'm not sure how much help I'll be" Stacker sighed in defeat.

"You'll do fine. You can stay the night at our house, if you like" I offered. Stacker smiled and shook his head, responding,

"I couldn't do that"

I shrugged and wrapped Ann's arm around my shoulders to support her. She looked exhausted, barely keeping herself awake. She would quietly moan something every now and then, before shutting her eyes again and falling back asleep. I was relieved when our farm drew into view.

"Well, I'll be heading back, now. I'll see you tomorrow" Stacker smiled as he turned to go. I shouted as his retreating back,

"Be careful"

"I always am" he retorted smoothly, holding his rifle at head height and stepping into the brush. I hoped the young marine would make it home in one piece without running into that monster in the woods. The screams from before had come from the winery, and it sounded distinctively female…did the thing get Manna too? What about Duke? Were both of them dead now, prey to a hunter? An invisible hunter with impressive technology infinitely more powerful than ours, this damn thing was killing us off one by one. I opened the door and set Ann down on the bed.

"Don't go" she quietly whimpered in her sleep. I traced the outline of her face with my fingertips; she looked so cute when she was asleep like this. I remembered the flustered, dreamy look on her face when I had proposed to her on that day, which seemed like yesterday. Her face had flushed with joy and her squeals I could still recall with clarity. And then we had Charlie, who was thankfully asleep at the moment, silent in his crib. Revan was curled up in front of the dark, cold fireplace, and Malak was on my side of the bed. Shooing him off, I pulled Ann's traditional blue suspenders off of her, blushing slightly as the fabric came off. It wasn't that Ann would mind, exactly the opposite. Even though I had been married for about a year, I still couldn't get over some of the awkwardness of our relationship.

Making sure the shotgun at my bedside was loaded, I pulled my shirt off and hopped into bed. The only sound to pierce the silence of the night was the sound of chirping crickets and the rustling of leaves outside of my window.

_Ann was standing in the Inn, right next to her husband, Jack. He was holding the Blue Feather, used to propose to potential wives._

"_Ann, I love you more than anything. Will you marry me?" _

_Ann knew that she was dreaming, somehow. But this was a happy dream; how couldn't it be? Here she was, one year previously, reliving the moment when Jack proposed to her in the Inn. _

_The scene shifted. Ann was in the Inn again, but something was very wrong. _

_Ann was backed up against the wall, cornered, trapped, like the mouse that had been chased and finally caught by the hungry cat. Cliff stood before her, a menacing gleam in his eye that replaced the normal energetic, yet shy, demeanor that the man usually showed around Ann and Jack. _

"_You bitch! Choosing farmer-brown over there over me! You'll regret your decision, now that you know who I am!" Cliff yelled. _

"_You…you're not Cliff! Cliff would never say these things to me! What did you do to Cliff?" Ann screamed, slamming her fist into the side of "Cliff's" face. Cliff grunted and stumbled backwards, eventually tripping over his fallen weapon. _

_The image of Cliff melted to reveal a woman with short blond hair pulled back into a bun. The clothes she wore were reminiscent of those worn by Ann when she was a child; simple, comfortable clothes. Without even having seen this woman before, Ann knew that this was her mother. Her face was contorted in rage._

"_You whore, you choose this bastard over better stock! You don't even know if his "parents" didn't just pick him up out of some dumpster! He could have lived in a cardboard box before you came here! And you go and marry him, and now you bear his children!" her mother screamed angrily. _

"_Mommy…" Ann began to cry. She hadn't cried in a very long time, since she was little. Ann had never known her mother at all, she having died when Ann was still young. Her mother snarled in rage and tore at her own face. Ann screamed in horror as her mother's flesh was torn from her face, revealing her father underneath. His face was nowhere close to kind, and Ann wanted to just die when she heard his words._

"_I'm ashamed of you, Ann. Your mother, if she were here, would never have let you do something as stupid as this. You are a disgrace! Get out of my house! Never come back here again! Maybe your husband will love you, because I sure as hell don't!" he yelled, his face melting grotesquely. Ann's soul shriveled up and died when she saw who was next._

_It was Jack. His lip curled into a sneer and his eyes displayed contempt as he slapped Ann across the face. Ann curled into a ball and whimpered. Jack would never do this to her. He had told her himself that he loved her more than anything. He was ready to do anything for her. And she had given everything to him. She had moved into his house, borne his children…so why was he doing this? _

_Jack's face dropped like a mask to reveal an emotionless mask staring at her. Yellow eyes flashed for an instant, and the thing grabbed Ann by the throat, squeezing like a large snake. Ann's gurgled apologies and cries for help fell on deaf ears as the thing pulled off it's mask, to reveal…_

"NO!" Ann yelled, sitting upright in bed. Jack snorted in his sleep and rolled over to face Ann. His eyes were closed, and he looked more relaxed than he did during the day. Ann couldn't help but think how cute he looked, asleep like that. Silently brushing a hair off of his face, she sat up in bed. Jack had taken her suspenders off, but that didn't really matter. Opening the door, Ann decided to go for a quick walk. It wouldn't be long, and Ann would have time to get some air and think about that odd, disturbing dream and whatever may have caused it.

The Yautja warrior chuckled as he ceased telepathic communication with the sleeping human's mate. Telepathy was easier than humans made it out to be; it usually came quickly to experienced Yautja scouts and warriors. But, this power of telepathy was restricted to humans with humans with open minds, humans like George Washington or Ronald Regan. Normal humans had invisible barriers around their minds because humans were undisciplined animals without focus or intent. Only when they let down these barriers, during sleep, for example, could warriors probe their minds. The Yautja had merely taken a series of memories from the human's mind and twisted them to suit his purpose of striking fear into the human's heart. Inspiring fear in humans by preying on their greatest weaknesses was one of the best things to do to make humans afraid. And frightened humans always fought their best against Yautja warriors when the time came. The human had sensed the warrior in her mind, and had sensed his intent. The Yautja activated his cloaking device…

Ann gasped as a new wave of sickness overwhelmed her. What was happening? It was like when she was pregnant with Charlie all over again…but that wasn't possible, was it? Then again, there was that one time…Ann blushed at the memory of the things she and Jack had done and said to each other during the passion of the night.

_But why did I dream something like that? And what was that thing at the end of my dream? Was it that thing that Jack was talking about?_ Ann wondered.

A low gurgling noise passed over Ann's head. Turning, Ann dashed for the house…

The Yautja, satisfied with it's manipulation of the human's mind, was pleased that the human was tense and afraid. The Yautja deactivated it's cloaking device and sprang at it from the shadows. The human fled, running as fast as it's legs would take it, which wasn't nearly fast enough to outrun an eager Yautja, who was hot on the human's heels and tackling her to the ground before she had run three paces. The Yautja smiled at the human's horror as he prepared to strike…

Ann suddenly recognized this thing as the masked demon from her dream. Had this thing given her that evil dream? Her family and friends would never say those things to her, and Ann had only had a dream like that once before…fifteen years before, to be exact. That dream had gone like the one Ann had just had. The boy, angrily, had attacked and was at the verge of killing Ann when he turned into a hulking, massive creature with an impassive, apathetic mask covering its face. Ann had never told anyone about that horrible dream, but if this was the cause of the nightmares…Ann wondered what else the creature, poised above her, had besides telepathy in the way of abilities. The creature pulled its arm back in a strike…

The Yautja suddenly felt a surge of feedback into his mind. The human had invaded his mind, unconsciously, by remembering something that had happened many, many years before. The warrior gurgled and relaxed it's arm as the image of a young girl cowering before a young boy surfaced in it's mind. The Yautja chuckled; he remembered this, vaguely, in the back of his mind. Many, many human units ago, this warrior had come here to hunt. Killing human young was considered unsporting by fellow hunters, but the warrior, at the time a neophyte in training, did not pass up the chance to torment a naïve human child as it slept. Preying on the human's fear had been easy then, and the Yautja realized why doing so again had been so simple; this human's mind had been invaded once before, leaving it open for another attack. The human's current mate was the same one from that time, as well. The Yautja understood the concept of bonding for life, as it was practiced on several of the hunting colonies in which he frequented, but yet, never expected the humans to bond at such an early age.

And the Yautja could swear another human was there. He could hear the beating of two human hearts very close by, but he only had one human in front of him…unless…

The warrior pushed a button on the side of it's helmet, switching to an infared tunneling view of the human. The Yautja's suspicions were confirmed when he saw the second life form, inside of the human. It's heartbeat registered inside of the Yautja's helmet, and it instantly relinquished it's grip on the human's throat. The human jerked once, and lay still in the dirt. Killing a human with young was a horrible thing to do, even for dishonorable warriors. The Yautja were ruthless in their hunts, but they drew the line at killing human females bearing young. The Yautja re-activated it's cloaking device and retreated into the woods once more.

Ann kept perfectly still, thinking that the thing that had almost killed her would be back to finish the job. The trees were silent, and everything was still. Ann didn't doubt that the creature had some sort of telepathic power, and had preyed on her worst fear, rejection, to lure her outside to be killed. The damn creature was sadistic in using Ann's darkest thoughts to try and isolate her from Jack.

Ann thought she had buried these horrible images of rejection forever after she married Jack. Apparently, not deep enough, since that mind-raping monster had taken them out and looked at them like old, forgotten photographs.

Shaking uncontrollably, Ann stumbled back into the house, tripping over one of the dogs, who yelped loudly, making Jack jump. He snatched his shotgun from the bedside table and shakily held it in his good arm. The barrel wavered and pointed in many different directions, but Jack's eyes registered horror and confusion when he saw Ann standing in the doorway.

"Ann! What happened?" he inquired sharply.

"I had a…dream. I went outside to clear my head, that's all" Ann replied. She figured she could tell Jack in the morning that his invisible hunter had paid Trayus a visit.

"Oh, ok. You scared me! Let's not go on anymore walks in the future; that thing might still be out there" Jack admonished. Ann rolled her eyes and replied with a smirk,

"Yes, master"

Jack frowned slightly, then smiled. Ann sat down on the edge of the bed and stuck her tongue out at Jack, who laughed and swatted at her. Ann dodged playfully out of reach before sliding back into bed. The couple slept soundly for the rest of the night, their sleep undisturbed by telepathic monsters.


	7. One Down

Author's Note: I HATED writing this chapter. I couldn't decide which marine (I couldn't kill off any of the cardinal characters yet!) to sacrifice in this chapter! ARGH! The loss of said marine hurt me, but I still have use for marines like Shiro and Larsen. And my Cliff's past is loosely based off of the KOTOR 2 character Atton Rand, with a shady past he doesn't want to acknowledge. Read and review, please!

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter VII

One Down

_Incident+202 Hours. Fall 19th, Year 5_

I slowly opened my eyes as day broke. I was clutching my pillow tightly, and it was warm and hard in my arms. Wait a minute- warm and hard? I could feel my pillow under my head, and I snapped my eyes open quickly to examine this odd object. It was Ann's head. A peaceful smile was spread across her face as she sighed in her sleep and cuddled up next to me. The scene, in my opinion, couldn't get any cuter than this. The first few weeks of our marriage, I had kept waking up in the middle of the night, wondering who was in my bed. Ann had actually woken up and punched me in the jaw when I reached my hand out and touched something. We had both avoided each other for the rest of the day. Chuckling to myself, I lay back down in bed. I didn't have to get up yet, really, seeing as it was only daybreak.

Stroking Ann's hair absentmindedly, I wondered what had shaken her up so much last night. She hid it well, but you don't live with a person for over a year and not know everything about them. Something last night had disturbed her greatly, and I wondered exactly what had happened.

She had never told me, but I somehow knew that I had met Ann before, years and years before inheriting Trayus. When my parents brought me here, fifteen years ago, I had met a little girl. During the week I spent here in Mineral Town, we grew very close to each other. I had forgotten what her name had been, but the one feature I remembered about her was her fiery red hair and bright blue eyes. It had to be Ann.

A crisp knock on the door made Ann jump off of my lap; she looked genuinely afraid of something. Her normally cheerful face was twisted with fear, and her eyes darted left and right, searching for some invisible threat. Did the hunter arrive at our house last night? I decided to ask her later as I groggily stood and opened the door. Elli and Tim were standing in front of me. Tim was smiling happily, and Elli glanced over my shoulder at Ann, barely trying to conceal her glee.

"Ann…we have the results of your blood tests" Tim smiled. I perked up instantly, and Ann rushed over to me.

"What is it?" I asked. Elli's eyes sparkled as she told Ann,

"You guys better make some more room…Charlie won't be alone for much longer!" she squealed. Ann instantly grasped the concept of another child and happily yelled with joy. I hugged Ann and Tim slapped me on the back. The sound of boots crunching on gravel, however, made us look up in surprise. Two marines, Jenkins and Shiro, quickly approached our door. Saluting us, they spoke quickly.

"The Mayor has requested all town citizens gather in the Square for a meeting. The winery owner Duke was found dead this morning" Jenkins growled.

"And Manna? What of Manna?" I inquired. Shiro shook her head.

"Nothing. We found nothing. We were there when something came and abducted her. We hit it with everything we had, but that wasn't enough. Whatever it was, it is as tough as you say, Jack" Shiro grimly reported. I shook my head. So now the casualty list had been bumped up to two- Rick and Manna. I stopped only to grab my shotgun and headed out. I didn't want to actually shoot the weapon, but the psychological purpose it would serve for that hunter would probably be enough. Besides, it had been five days since my encounter with death, and I was beginning to feel better again.

"Be careful now" Tim admonished as I carefully strapped the weapon over my shoulders. I nodded in acknowledgment. Ann and Elli were chattering in the background happily as we approached the town square. Thomas was standing on an old, moldy box of soap, getting ready to address the crowds.

"Everyone!" he cried vainly over the chattering crowds. Everyone looked anxious and afraid. Rumors must have spread like lightning, for everyone glanced into the trees fearfully. Cliff approached us and asked,

"What's going on? Do you know, Jack?"

"I don't know. These Marines just told me that they found Duke dead and Manna missing" I replied. Cliff shook his head and stood next to us as Thomas finally began to shout out his speech,

"I know that rumors have been flying around lately…" he began. Jeff, to my immense surprise, yelled back angrily,

"How can we defend ourselves against this thing? It's coming into our homes!" he yelled, swelling up like an angry balloon. Sasha scowled at him before Thomas attempted to speak again,

"Well, umm, that brings me to my next point. Sergeant, please!" he yelled, motioning towards the marine sergeant standing off to the side. The sergeant proudly stepped up onto the moldy soapbox and barked,

"We've come to the conclusion that only a quick strike can take this tough-ass son of a horse's turd out! To that end, I would like some volunteers! Who's with me!" he queried, sweeping his arm out widely to encompass all of us. Nobody stepped forward, except one person. Flowing brown hair and the trademark purple jacket screamed that the first volunteer for this suicide mission was Karen. Her eyes flashed with anger as Larsen regarded her with contempt, and the sergeant smiled at her, saying,

"Welcome aboard. Any other volunteers?"

Gotz was next. He casually slung his chopping axe over his shoulder and joined Karen next to the sergeant, his cold eyes taking in the line of marines. Nickson, the tiny, young marine, blanched as Gotz glared at him, and stumbled backwards under the over-balanced weight of his weapon.

"Anybody else?"

Nobody else stepped forward. Zack, his head still bandaged, looked up at the volunteers and shook his head. The Marines scowled at us, almost mocking us, daring one of us to step up. I almost stood and walked over to the marines, but Ann grabbed my shoulder. Before I could stop her, she spun me around and looked me square in the eyes.

"You can't go, Jack! I'll go instead" she insisted. My eyes bulged.

"No way! That thing could kill you! And I can't let you- it's my duty as your husband! And besides, what about that baby you're carrying? What about the baby?" I challenged silently. Ann glared at me.

"I saw that thing last night. It could have killed us all, and it didn't. Now, I believe that if we don't stop this thing here and now, it'll kill us all anyway! You saw what it can do, and what it just did! Kidnapped Rick right in front of you, and stole Manna out from under the noses of these marines! If they're asking for help, they're gonna need all the help they can get! I'm going, Jack!" she firmly stated, meaning the topic was closed for discussion. I mulled her thoughts over, and silently handed her my shotgun and a box of ten shells from my back pocket. With a look of grim resignation, Ann stepped forward, sliding the box of shells into the front pocket of her suspenders.

Elli and Tim, who hadn't overheard our conversation, gasped in surprise as Ann took her place next to Karen. Karen nodded silently at Ann, who slung the shotgun over her shoulder and stared back at me. I sighed and stared down at the ground.

"Jack, what are you doing? Stop her!" Elli growled, nudging me in the back. I turned to Elli, my head bowed, and said grimly,

"Those marines will need all the help they can get. I would go, but I can't, because of my injury. It was Ann's choice to go, and I won't stop her. She'll be safe…I know she will. They'll wipe the floor with that thing and come home safe. Ann will be alright" I told more myself than them. Tim shook his head.

"The stress of combat may be too much for her. She'll only be a liability in combat" Tim t'sked, making me smile at him.

"Then you don't know my Ann" I stated proudly. I knew Ann wasn't a liability to those Marines; had I shown her my shotgun before, she would have probably wanted to go shoot it. I disliked the idea of shooting the weapon at all, but I considered taking it up as a hobby as the sergeant began to speak to his volunteers. To my surprise, Cliff had joined them, and was cradling a long package in his arms. His face might have been set in stone, from the cold expression on his face. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn Cliff almost looked different, like a changed man. He almost looked like some kind of trained killer or assassin, like he had killed and almost died before.

In a group, the Marines filed out of the clearing, heading in the direction of the woods. Watching them go, I saw the scared expression on Ann's face before they entered the wood. The fear twisted my heart into knots, and that was the final straw. I ripped the cast off of my arm, to the horror of Tim and Elli, and flexed my hand. My arm looked slightly charred, but otherwise healed. Nasty scars would come from this, but I didn't care. As I prepared to follow the Marines, Doug approached me, reaching for something in his jacket.

"If you're going after Ann, take this. You'll need it" he said, handing me a .45 pistol and another clip for the weapon. I internally grimaced at the idea of shooting something again, but repressed the urge and replied,

"I won't let her get hurt, sir. I mean it" I firmly stated. He nodded.

"You're a good husband, Jack. Watch over Ann" he slapped me on the back and sent me on my way. I slipped away from the general chaos of the raging square, quietly slipping the weapon into my rucksack and fingering the extra clip Doug had given me.

_I won't let you down, sir._

-

The Yautja extracted the syringe from the female human. She spat at him and huffed indignantly as the warrior deposited the contents of the syringe into a small vial. The other male human had given up resistance units ago, and glared at the Yautja from his shackles. The Yautja had originally intended to kill him, but seeing that the human was of right age, his use had been secondary. The Yautja placed the vial of white liquid collected from the male human into a miniature stasis-unit and placed the other vial from the female next to it.

Human leaders long held the relationship with the Yautja; the Yautja provided technology and tipped political scales for the humans, and the humans gave the Yautja the ability to hunt in selective locations on the human home world. But there was a sect in the human government, looking to capture a Yautja. And three times, they had almost succeeded. The Yautja hunts had become more subtle since then, the last hunt taking place in a giant pyramid housing the biological weapons of the Yautja's ancestors. But the Yautja wasn't interested in his species' past at the moment as a low beeping noise emanated from the nearest console; the trip lines he had placed in the woods had been set off. It had only been a matter of time before the humans had come to investigate the crash site of the Yautja for the second time…and with force. Based off of the number of sensors tripped, a large column of humans were coming.

The Yautja grabbed two weapons off of its trophy rack and turned towards the doors. Let them come.

-

Ann glanced around warily, Jack's shotgun at the ready. Had she known her husband possessed the weapon, she would have loved to go target shooting with him! Ann had originally despised the idea of shooting the weapon, as her look of distaste when her husband unveiled the weapon clearly advertised, but after a little while, the idea of the weapon's recreational use had grown on her. Ann wasn't one to pass up new things.

Karen, standing on Ann's left, was acting strangely. Her face was determined, dead set in seriousness. Her green eyes, which captivated the stares of many a passing traveler, were cold and distant, and Ann, no matter what she said, couldn't even get Karen to grin at her. Ann was Karen's best friend, and the loss of Rick must have a bigger impact on her friend than Ann realized. Karen was holding the basic framework of some sort of automatic weapon, loaned to her from Saibara. He claimed to have re-furbished the weapon himself, re-crafting some of the parts by hand.

Cliff was distant as well. He carried a long package under his arm, and no amount of prompting would get him to open it. He had stubbornly refused to reveal the contents of the box. What could be so important for Cliff to be so obstinate about the contents of a long box? Cliff glanced around coldly as his fingers toyed with the edges of the box.

"Movement!" the lead marine shouted, pointing his weapon, the long, advanced, tracking weapon, in the direction of a clearing.

"What's the position?" the sergeant asked, glancing warily around.

"Uhh…god dammnit, stupid piece of crap! I can't lock in, there's too much interference!" he snarled, pushing buttons on the side of his helmet.

"Talk to me, Jenkins! What was it?" the sergeant barked.

"Sir, I dunno! It was there, and then…gone! I only had it for a second…Nickson, did you get anything?" he asked in frustration. Nickson nodded.

"Yes, sir. I did. It looked like some really big thing, I dunno. It was big, and was only on my weapon's tracker for a second" he confirmed. The Marines removed the safeties from their weapons.

"There! Twelve o'clock!" Nickson shouted, letting loose a barrage of bullets. The stillness of the woods was disturbed by the cracking of automatic weapons fire as their assailent fell silently from the trees.

The hind legs of the squirrel twitched slightly, the body mangled beyond recognition. The sergeant's eyebrow cocked, and the big marine, Larsen, growled,

"We got spooked by a SQUIRREL? That's it! Let's just torch the place and get it over with!" he declared, igniting the primer flame of his weapon. Takatura held her hand up.

"No, we can't! Do you want to set the whole village on fire, you idiot? You'd fry us all!"

The next moment was awkward as the marines glared at each other.

"Alright, people, settle down, settle down. Let's just keep moving" the sergeant growled. The Marines glared at each other, than moved on. Ann sighed and shook her head; these idiots didn't even get along with each other, so how could they possibly band together to stop this threat?

-

I silently followed the procession of Marines into the forest. We were getting closer to the clearing where I had been attacked by that creature. What if the thing was following us now? I really didn't want to wait to find out, yet I didn't want to scare Ann too badly by jumping out of the trees for nothing. I decided to hold my ground, silently following the marines as they delved deeper into the woods.

The Yautja gurgled as the humans blasted apart the small Earth mammal from its perch. Stupid humans, wasting their ammunition on such a small mammal, or had those shots been intended for the Yautja? The Yautja knew he had been spotted by the human's tracking technology, but the electromagnetic fields radiated by his hunting mask disrupted the auto-targeting systems on the human weapons before they could fire. Instead, the human weapons had re-acquired a new target, and terminated it, missing the hunter completely. The humans probably guessed the Yautja's presence, but were still casually relaxed. The Yautja reached for the closest weapon at his belt; his throwing disc. The human sporting tool, the discus, was based off of the design of the Yautja weapon, but far inferior from the original, as the disc was about to prove. The hunter prepared to throw the disc…

Larsen suddenly glanced into the trees and shouted,

"Look out!"

Flinging myself to the ground, I watched, surprised, as a black, glowing object soared overhead. It seemed to have originated from the trees behind us. The Marines still didn't know I was there, and as the disc chopped through several trees, pandemonium broke loose. I jumped out from my hiding spot as Jenkins fired his grenade launcher indiscriminately into the trees, shattering the tranquil forest.

Karen tripped over me as I landed, belly down, in the center of the marine formation. She gasped and pointed her weapon at my face, the look of hate sending tendrils of fear into my heart.

"Jack?" she asked as Nickson's overbalanced weapon barked, spitting rounds into the trees. A familiar gurgling chuckle passed overhead, and the black disc, embedded in the side of a tree, swung about and into the hands of it's invisible owner, who promptly disappeared again into the trees.

"God damnit, you big bastard! Come out and fight!" Larsen challenged, holstering his flamethrower and unsheathing his shotgun, sliding the action back and forth. Ann glanced around warily, not even noticing my presence. Cliff was gone, lost in the chaos. Had the hunter killed him, too? I couldn't let anyone else die; I pulled the pistol from my jacket and aimed it into the trees.

"Fuck off and die" my voice rang, synthesized and yet still mine, from the trees behind us. My head snapped back and forth as I tried to trace this unstoppable menace. Where was it? The question was soon answered as a bloody scream made me jump in fear.

Private Shiro yelled angrily as an invisible arm blindsided her. She fell, and the shimmering form moved on to Larsen. Larsen grunted and fired his shotgun, and missed. The thing kicked him in the chest and knelt over his struggling form.

"Get it! Shoot it, now!" the sergeant yelled. The ATS Smartguns spat out more rounds than I could possibly count, and the amount of fire laid down by Stacker and Takatura was amazing. Shiro groped for her fallen weapon, but this was all in vain, as the invisible hunter struck for the kill.

"God damn it! What the fuck are you?" Takatura yelled angrily as she reloaded her weapon.

"_E tu, mothefucker?"_ the thing gurgled before leaping back into the trees. I glanced around, surprised, thinking the thing had gotten away. But, to my surprise, Jenkins screamed as a long spear embedded itself in his gut. Blood spurted across Shiro's face as she grasped her rifle.

"No!" someone yelled. The shimmer, which had landed several feet away, clashed with, to my surprise, Cliff, who was wielding what looked like a Japanese katana. The thing blocked and parried Cliff's furious tirade of attacks using it's bare forearms as shields to weather the storm. Cliff never seemed to tire. Spinning and circling his blade, he weaved an intricate dance of death, slashing and hacking at the unseen menace.

Cliff was suddenly hurtled backwards by an unseen force. The thing seemed to have won as the sound of metal sliding into place clicked over the silence of the forest. A shimmer in the air turned into a blue crackle of electricity, and soon became the noise of electric circuits burning out. The masked demon was revealed to have a set of wristblades, pointed directly at Cliff's head!

"Stay down!" yelled the marine to my right as she sprang into action. Her helmet flew off of her head as she charged at the hunter. It was then I noticed how short her hair was, and the odd color of her skin as well. It was almost an orange-peach color, except on her face. Her fingers almost looked like claws as she used her rifle as a brutish cudgel to swing at the creature.

With a sickening crack, the creature stumbled sideways, grunting in pain. The marine held her rifle barrel up, the butt of the weapon slightly bent from the impact on the alien's skull. Her eyes flared, and it was when the creature didn't rise that I realized how strong she must be. What was this marine? I didn't even know her name.

"Run, kid, run!" she yelled at Cliff. He looked like he didn't need telling twice as he scooped up his katana and sheathed it.

Jenkins coughed feebly and stood, pulling the spear out of his chest with a yell. Dropping his "Smartgun" and all of it's auto-tracking gear onto the forest floor, he struggled to stay upright. As the creature rose, standing menacingly in front of us, he charged forward.

"Go! I'll hold this bastard off! He's no match for me! Run!" he yelled in a final display of bravado. Drawing a pistol, he fired twelve shots at point-blank range into the creature's helmet. All twelve bullets pinged off of the thing's helmet as it lifted Jenkins by the throat. As I turned to fire on the creature, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me backwards, away from Jenkins' death gurgle.

"Get up, Jack! Run!" Karen urged. I stumbled to my feet and ran, hearing Jenkins' death screams that still echoed through the woods as we all fled.

We emerged from the woods a bloody and bedraggled mess. The townsfolk were gathered, and dismayed by our broken appearance. Stu waddled forward and asked me,

"Did you win, Jack?"

I patted the small boy on the head and replied,

"Well…"

Larsen snarled.

"We just got our asses kicked, kid! Alright? It won, we lost! What are we gonna do?" he yelled angrily.

"Pull it together, Larsen!" the sergeant checked. Larsen glared and went silent.

"Now, what exactly happened? Where's that last one…umm…Jenkins?" Jeff asked. Gotz spoke up, in his big, booming voice,

"That thing killed him. It's tougher than Jack said it would be; it made a complete ass out of all of us. Even these Marines here!" he exclaimed, pointing towards the scowling Larsen.

"You wanna start something, boy?" Larsen challenged. Gotz bristled and held up his ham-sized fists, well callused from his work as a lumberjack. Thomas stepped forward.

"Now, now, everybody! Stop! We need a plan!" he yelled over the din of the townsfolk. Everyone glared at him.

"What kind of plan? This thing outwitted an entire squad of marines! How can we stop it?" Anna queried, looking like an angry balloon. Mary glanced around nervously and tried to calm her mother down.

"You underestimate us. Look at what our forefathers did! They came here, to Mineral Town, an uninhabited, lonely island, and colonized it within five years. History says that they overcame many hardships, but survived all the same. They repelled invasions of every kind, from the British attacks during the Revolution, to the Confederate occupation during the Civil War, we've overcome a lot. We'll survive" Mary assured the restless crowds. A murmur of assent traveled through the congregation before the marines trumped off in the direction of the town's Inn.

"Say, Cliff…where'd you get that sword from?" I asked him. He glared at me.

"It was a family heirloom" he said simply before walking on. I couldn't help but notice the brown stains on the side of the hilt and sheath of the sword; were those bloodstains?

"JACK!" yelled an angry voice. I knew exactly what to expect as I turned around to face a glaring, petite, saber-toothed tiger with bright blue eyes and red hair.

"What were you doing out there? Where's your cast? Why aren't you at home?" Ann asked angrily.

"Hey, isn't that supposed to be MY job? And besides, you aren't much better off! At least I'm not pregnant here!" I retorted angrily. Ann huffed indignantly.

"You fought this thing before and it almost killed you! What kind of sense do you have to go and fight it again, Jack?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"I didn't want you to get hurt. If that thing killed either of us…well, I don't know what you would do, but I wouldn't go on. I couldn't, Ann. That's why I couldn't let you go alone" I almost choked out the words, reaching out and hugging my wife. She hugged me back.

"You're so sweet, Jack. I'm so glad we're married" Ann told me silently as we let go. Emotions were running high after our brush with death; it almost seemed inappropriate, especially in public, but to us, it meant the world to each other to know we cared this much for each other. Feeling giddy, we held hands and almost skipped home, not caring about invisible hunters or the death of one Private Jenkins.

-

Cliff sullenly walked back into his room and put his imported katana away. What he had told to Jack was half-truth; the weapon had been a family heirloom, but Jack didn't know the weapon's past and the conflict it had served in.

The female marine walked in, putting her rifle down on the table. The massive dent on the butt of the weapon reminded Cliff of his close shave, and he put the weapon on his bed and rose to thank her.

"Umm, thanks for the save out there. I would have probably been toast if you hadn't interfered" Cliff told her gratefully. She smiled at him.

"It was nothing. Your assistance in the battle was greatly appreciated" she said in a formal tone that betrayed no emotion. Cliff frowned.

"You never did tell me your name. I'm Cliff, by the way" he said, extending his hand.

"Mira. My name is Mira" she told Cliff, shaking his hand.

"So, umm, where are you from?" Cliff asked. It was Mira's turn to frown.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" she said in a final tone, telling Cliff not to ask again. Pulling the clip out of her weapon, Cliff tried to engage her in conversation again, saying,

"That's an impressive weapon" echoing her earlier words about his katana.

"This is the M6AP Assault Rifle. Shoots more or less where you want it to go, and quickly, as well" she shrugged, tracing her fingers along the contorted end of the weapon. Cliff remembered the power behind the attack on that hunter's skull. Was Mira even human, from her physical features? Her eyes, a bright, almost unnatural yellow, seemed to glow in the dark, and if Cliff didn't know any better, he could have sworn four small bumps were visible whenever she opened her mouth.

"Well, I'm bushed. I'm going to bed" Cliff announced with a yawn, only taking time to put the katana under his bed before going to sleep. Mira stared at him in confusion for a little while before falling asleep at the table.


	8. Training

Author's Note: I got AVP 2 yesterday…my new favorite thing to do as a Predator is head-snipe distant enemies with my spear gun and listening to the Predator's sadistic chuckle as the head goes flying yards away from the body…ahem. The idea of the Marinesdoing what they do in this chappie is rushed,but I meant for the atmosphere to be hectic and fast-paced. Anyway, Panzer, does THIS answer your previous question?

**Prey to a Hunter**

**Chapter 8:**

**Training**

_Incident+370 Hours. Fall 25th, Year 5_

The Yautja warrior knelt over his dead quarry. The hunt was successful, and the Yautja's superior hunting prowess had defeated one of the human warriors in traditional combat. The human's final act of firing its weapon in close quarters, had the Yautja been unmasked, might have succeeded, but the mask was impenetrable, at least by the brutish human weapons.

Extending his wristblades, the Yautja stabbed into the human's neck, feeling around the flesh and grasping its prize. Lifting its trophy high into the air, the Yautja opened it's mandibles under its helmet and roared. The primal roar of the warrior terrorized the stricken forest as small animals fled and the humans ran in fear. Let them run, enough blood had been spilled for the day. The Yautja would kill them all, leading to the conclusion of a perfect hunt.

-

Ann moaned and sighed under me as she convulsed for the millionth time this night. It had been about a week since Private Jenkins' death at the hands of that creature, but the forest ambush was the last thing on our minds at the moment. Our bodies were covered in sweat, and the lights were out, the light of the moon the only guide in the darkness. And it was all I needed, as Ann's screams and moans of pleasure were a testament to. In the ample light, I could see Ann's eyes rolling in her head as she flung her head back and screamed loudly.

The night seemed to darken as Ann finally relaxed under me, breathing heavily. She looked at me contentedly, smiling.

Ann shuddered uncontrollably as I traced my hand across her stomach, and giggled uncontrollably as I kneaded her tiny ribcage. Squealing and thrashing, Ann playfully fought back, squirming and trying to get away. It was times like this that really made life stand out to me, as Ann and I were consumed by our blissful joy.

"Jack, stop it! It tickles!" Ann whined, batting playfully at my hands. I smiled at her and replied,

"Ah, but that's the point!" I smiled at her and kept up the assault. Ann snickered and helplessly kicked her legs out at me, which I nimbly dodged. Helplessly laughing her head off, Ann squirmed and desperatly tried to escape as I used her worst weakness against her. Ann absolutely HATED being tickled.

The whining of the two dogs startled me. Looking up, a crisp knock, marital in its sound, resounded in my house. Sighing and pulling on some clothes, I stood up and walked over to the door.

"Yes?" I asked, opening the door. It was Private Takatura.

"Jack, may I come in? Of course, if you're busy…" she smiled cunningly, eyeing my current appearance and my ruffled shirt. It was obvious that she had heard what Ann and I had been doing, and I blushed before asking

"What is it?"

"I believe you'll want to see this, Jack. I'll give you some time to make yourself decent," she smirked, eyeing me from head to toe, "and we'll head out".

I shut the door and straightened my shirt. Ann had been listening to the conversation as well, and was in the process of donning a simple grey sweatshirt and blue jeans. She threw me a long-suffering look before grabbing my shotgun off of the bedside table. I was surprised at Ann's change of attitude towards the weapon; going from complete distaste to a sort of pleasure in handling the weapon was strange in my opinion, but Ann always did like trying new things.

"You can stay home, Ann. I'll go; I'm feeling better" I told Ann, slipping Doug's pistol into my belt. Ann shook her head defiantly.

"Look, just because I'm carrying one extra doesn't make me weak! And as I recall, I handled myself just fine in the woods out there yesterday! I'm coming, Jack!" she said firmly as she slipped a pair of socks on. I knew arguing with her was pointless now, so I simply shrugged and pulled my jacket on.

"We're ready; let's go" I announced as I stepped outside. Takatura glanced at me with a sly grin, suggestively moving her hands together. I shook my head, and Ann flushed bright red as she saw what Takatura was doing with her hands…

As we walked into the Town Square, the mood was anything but happy. The look on everyone's faces was one of grim resignation. I knew then that another party had been dispatched and had found the remains of Private Jenkins.

Thomas' speech, which was halfway through by the time we had reached the Square, dispelled this thought and put a new, sinister one in its place.

"Today, the remains of Private Wallace A. Jenkins were found outside of the Town Inn, where the rest of the Marines are staying. His skull and spine were missing from his body, almost like one would strip the bones from a killed animal" Thomas' cold simile sent a shiver down my spine.

"We recovered the majority of his equipment about a week ago relatively unscathed, as well. The sergeant is asking for another group of volunteers…" the Mayor continued, before the crowd began to yell in anger.

"Another group? How many will get killed this time, huh?" shouted the angry voice of Sasha. Jeff held his hands up to try and console his angry wife, but she shrugged him off like an annoying insect and continued on her angry tirade. Karen glared at her mother.

"Mom! This isn't helping! How do you think I feel?" she yelled angrily at her mother. Both mother and daughter glared at each other as others began clamoring to get their opinions voiced.

"Maybe we could set a trap for it?" Barley was speaking sense. May hugged his hand in a death grip as the throng of people pressed tighter.

"Use explosives, possibly?" Saibara's idea was a bit over the top, but it might only be enough to stop this mammoth creature. I knew that Saibara had some role in creating the fireworks every year, and he probably knew enough about explosives to contain the blast and kill this alien.

Thomas held up his hand to calm the raging storm of the crowds.

"The sergeant has suggested that everyone in town sleep in one place until this creature is caught and destroyed. You will all move out of your houses into the Inn by three o clock this afternoon, per his orders" Thomas grimly addressed the issue. Everyone's faces ranged from anger to shock at this new development.

"If you gather in a large enough place, the thing can't possibly take down one of us without alerting the rest. The Marines and any other volunteers will take guard duty in shifts" Thomas continued. The marines, standing in line behind him, looked exhausted and bedraggled.

"But wouldn't this just be putting all of us in one place to be slaughtered?" Ann silently wondered. The marines had apparently realized the same thing, because Takatura spoke up, saying,

"I know some of you may think we're all vulnerable in one place. Nothing to worry about; we're highly trained Marines. You have nothing to worry about" I snorted at this comment. Still with the infamous Marine bravado, even after the loss of one of their own, at least they all weren't too down after Jenkins' death.

"Three o clock, people!" the sergeant barked in conclusion, leading his men out of the Square and into the direction of the hotel.

-

The Yautja slid its fingers over the activation button of the long weapon it held. The Yautja spear-gun, a long-range weapon used for softening up targets of particular strength or interest, tracked the head of one human as it confidently stalked out of the square. Even after the loss of one of their warriors, the human morale was still surprisingly high. Not for long. The Yautja re-activated its cloaking shield and prepared for its next kill.

-

I couldn't help but feel I was being watched as I marched into the Supermarket with Ann. We needed some supplies for the upcoming winter, and besides, stocking supplies early never hurt anybody. Jeff was sleeping at the counter when we walked in, and the chime of the tiny bell startled him into consciousness.

"What? Oh, it's you, Jack. Hello, Ann" he greeted both of us. I returned his greeting and Ann smiled as we picked out several items, namely oil, bread, and flour, for the winter. The bell jingled, and an indignant Karen stomped into the room. Ann and I winced as Karen practically bellowed out many unprintables, and her eyes flashed with fury.

"Karen?", Jeff asked in concern for his daughter. Karen snarled at him in return, and Jeff visibly recoiled. I could hear her muttering something about cowardice as she slammed the back door to the supermarket.

"Did she go to see the Marines?" I asked Jeff. He nodded.

"She was trying to organize another search party. She still thinks that Rick is out there, alive. It's been almost a week now, but she's stubborn. Now, did you need something?" Jeff told me as I paid for the produce.

"I'll go see Karen" Ann told me as I stuffed the food into my pack. Ann and Karen were best friends, so I heartily agreed. I certainly didn't want to go into the hungry lion's den. I decided to visit Doug at the Inn and return his weapon to him. Telling Jeff where I was headed so Ann wouldn't panic, I headed for the Inn.

The young Marine, Nickson, stood sentry at the door. He saluted as I approached the door, and I saluted him before speaking,

"May I come in? You guys aren't planning anything in there, are you?"

"Oh, no, sir! Please, come in! I think the owner of the Inn wants to see you, anyway!" Nickson enthusiastically reported, flinging open the door. Doug was polishing a glass at the countertop when he saw me.

"Jack! Come in!" he called, putting the glass down and filling it with my favorite vintage wine. I usually didn't drink wine, but since Doug had offered me the drink, I couldn't refuse it. I sipped the beverage while slipping the gun back under the counter. Doug, puzzled, frowned at me and handed the weapon back to me.

"You'll need it more than I will, Jack. Take it. I gave it to you to help protect Ann" he firmly stated, pressing the handle of the weapon into my hand. I shook my head.

"But what if that thing comes here? I've got a weapon at my house, and you'd be defenseless against that thing!" I exclaimed. I didn't want Doug hurt, and Ann had already lost her mother, Doug being one of the last members of her family still alive.

"Do you think a handgun would do much against a thing like that? From the descriptions, that thing is a monster. Besides, the marines are bunking here. There's enough firepower here to level a city block, Jack. I'll be fine". I wasn't swayed by Doug's fake show of confidence. "Enough power to level a city block" wasn't quite enough for this thing, as our last encounter proved. The black agent was casually sipping a white substance and observing my actions in the corner, and had not the sun flashed off of his glass, I never would have spotted him.

"Well, I raised Gateway on the line. A helicopter with some supplies and some pair of consultants, 'experts' as the General called 'em, are incoming. There'll be enough weapons to arm at least one family member per family soon enough" the sergeant happily announced as he strode down the stairs. Well, that solved the problem of weaponry, at least for the time being.

"Jack? Jack, are you here?" Ann called. A subdued-looking Karen followed behind her. Karen's eyes were red and bloodshot, like she had recently been crying. She still managed to smile at me as she and Ann strode into the bar.

"Hi, Jack. Hey, dad! Jeff told me you left and came here" Ann told me. I nodded.

"Yeah. I figured you and Karen needed some time alone, and I didn't want to go home just yet"

"That's alright. Hey, dad? Is Cliff here?" Ann asked her father. Doug nodded.

"Yup. He ate breakfast and went back upstairs. Haven't seen him since" Doug told us. Ann, Karen, and I all marched upstairs. Private Stacker stood in the bathroom, half of his face shaven, humming the song "Banana Phone" to himself absentmindedly.

"Alright…grip it here…uh-huh…now, push, hard, there…uhh…yeah, that's good…oh, you've got it…" came a low, happy voice from Cliff's room. It sounded like the mysterious seventh marine and Cliff. Together.

Cliff's grunts and groans resounded in my ears as my hand froze right in front of the door. Ann's eyes were wide, and Karen was blushing a bright shade of crimson and staring at the ground.

"Hey…I think someone's outside at the door!" Cliff's voice rang. A loud thud accompanied the sound of the doorknob rattling. Ann, Karen, and I looked at each other, panicked. Had we just disturbed Cliff in the process of…?

To our relief, Cliff and the marine stood before us, fully clothed. The word "Mira" was stenciled on her helmet, and to my surprise, Cliff was wearing a set of Marine casual fatigues and spotted a bright red headband around his head.

"Hey, Jack, Ann, Karen! What's up?" he asked casually. Ann eyed Cliff up and down in confusion, and Karen slowly pulled her jaw back up from its fallen position on the ground. The sight of Cliff in a Marine uniform was odd, to be sure, and Karen was expressing all of our disbelief quite clearly. The expression on her face was almost comical in its appearance.

"Um…Cliff, what are you wearing?" Ann asked. Cliff beamed.

"Well, since the Marines are now one short, I've enlisted in this unit! Mira- oh, by the way, that's her name," Cliff began, gesturing towards the marine, "vouched for me after the ambush in the woods, and the sergeant got the O.K. from his CO back on Gateway. I've taken some of Jenkins' gear, and was practicing with it. Wanna see?" Cliff asked, hefting the massive M56. Karen's eyebrows arched.

"That thing is bigger than you are!" she remarked. Cliff grinned as the weapon tracked her hand's movement. The barrel and cartridge of the weapon were missing, but the weapon's ATS system was obviously still online.

"Exactly" Cliff grinned as he set the weapon down and took the eyepiece out of his eyes.

"My gear's been ordered, and my impromptu training began four days ago. The armor, fatigues and equipment are incoming. Some kind of experimental junk, 'motion trackers' or something. Once this is over, I'll be officially trained, and join the Corps!" Cliff excitedly exclaimed.

"You must understand how desperate the situation is. Normal rules go against such quick enlistment, but this is a special case" Mira explained, noting my look of confusion.

"We're all probably in for it when we get back to Gateway, but, hell, we ARE one short…" Stacker yelled from the bathroom.

"He's actually proficient with some of our weapons. The M56 is a difficult weapon to master, but he's made phenomenal progress" Mira complemented Cliff. Cliff beamed.

"We started training a day after the incident. They taught me the basics of firing your weapon, cleaning it, and the other maintenance procedures for this bad boy. I've always wanted to join the Marines, but I could never summon the courage. They taught me how to bandage wounds, use the field radio, and how to operate the tracking system on my weapon. I'm still trying to take all of it in, though. I'm still no good at bandaging wounds and using the other weapons, but I'm learning fast" Cliff reassuringly told us. He was speaking rapidly, and was obviously very excited.

Karen, her finger at her chin, resting in thought, suddenly suggested,

"This is a good idea, Cliff! Why don't we teach some of the other villagers? They're sending us weapons, but we need to know how to use them, right?" Stacker walked out of the bathroom, drying his face with a towel.

"You're not the first person to suggest this. Why the sudden interest, Karen?" Stacker asked, using Karen's name with a gentle concern. It occurred to me then that Stacker…liked Karen. I smiled inwardly at the Marine's infatuation; just about every young male traveler or passer-by that came through Mineral Town had eyes for Karen at one point or another.

"Teach me too" Karen explained simply. Stacker stared at her, mouth slightly agape, before shaking his head.

"Are you sure?" he asked, surprised. Karen's scowl darkened.

"Do I look serious to you?" Karen asked imperiously. Stacker visibly recoiled.

"Whoa…I didn't mean to…I'm sorry. I'll teach you, if you want" Stacker quickly recovered, offering Karen his hand. Karen seemed to consider this for a moment, and shook his hand.

"Deal. When will those weapons be arriving?" she asked. Stacker shrugged.

"Sarge wouldn't say. Could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to fifteen days. You can begin training by using mine, if you want" he said, putting his razor back into his pocket. Karen nodded.

"I'd like that. Can we start now?" she asked. Stacker nodded and retrieved his rifle from his room. Shiro followed him.

"Ah, so, we have some temporary reinforcements. Believe me, what Sarge will put you through is only a taste of life in the Corps. Believe me on that. When you get to Gateway for your proper training, don't expect any mercy like we're going to give you" she warned grimly. Cliff gulped, and Karen's eyes hardened.

"I'm ready. Let's begin" Karen declared. Stacker smiled and jammed a clip into his rifle.

"Follow me…" he said, leading Karen into the back. Ann flashed Karen a supportive smile, which Karen promptly returned. Mira and Cliff did several more drills with the rifle for a while, before quitting for the day and eating lunch with the rest of us.

Larsen and Takatura walked in the Inn's doors, looking sweaty and exhausted, but triumphant.

"Well, sir, the scanners are in place. If anything else bigger than a cat moves out there in the woods, we'll know about it" Larsen said happily. The sergeant, who was sipping a beer at the counter, grunted in acknowledgement.

I opened the back door of the Inn to see Stacker standing over Karen, holding his weapon.

"Alright. That was good. Now, it's time for the basics. This here is a good friend of mine. It's the M41A Pulse Rifle, and a soldier's best friend on the battlefield. Hold it like this" he began, standing behind Karen and showing her how to shoulder the short rifle. Karen complied and sighted down the weapon's barrel.

"Yeah…now what?" Karen asked, her fingers tightening around the empty weapon's trigger. Stacker nodded.

"Uh-huh…just like that. Now, this little counter on the side, here, see it? That shows you how much ammo we have left to play with. Of course, when it reaches zero, just tap this button," he instructed, poking a button next to the LCD counter, ", and pull the clip out. Jam a new one in quick, and you're ready to rock. Got it?" Stacker asked, handing Karen an empty clip. Karen nodded and slammed the clip in.

"Like this…got it. What's this do?" she asked, running her hands over the weapon's grenade-launcher.

"Oh…you don't want to play with that. That's the grenade launcher, pretty dangerous stuff. I once knew a guy, Harrison, I think his name was. He took a grenade and got jumped by some fanatic. Got so surprised, he fired his grenade right into the guy's face…heh…wasn't much left after that. Don't mess with this, now" Stacker finished, nervously fingering a grenade attached to his ammo bandolier. Karen glared at him.

"Oh, come on! You got me interested now! Show me everything!" she demanded. Stacker sighed and pulled a grenade from his belt.

"Now, don't go using these up real fast, now. They're pretty scarce as it is. Just slide it in here," he stated, sliding the grenade in, "and pump this back and forth. That'll launch the grenade. These babies explode on contact, so watch out so they don't bounce off walls or something" he cautioned. Karen nodded and ejected the grenade from the launcher.

"So, there you go. That's about six months of training in a nutshell. Remember; short controlled bursts when firing. That chopper is due any day now; be careful with your weapon when we hand them out. We can't go around fighting these things hand-to-hand" Stacker warned as Karen walked back to the Supermarket.

Today had been a very odd day indeed. The marines, arrogant and self-confident, were taking on apprentices in the midst of hell! And there was only one of these invisible hunters out there, to boot! Something here was wrong, very wrong. I couldn't help but feel that we were only puppets, controlled by an unseen force. That agent may have had something to do with all of this, but that was absurd! I sighed; I was thinking myself in circles again.

Ann must have noticed as well, because as we approached Trayus, she smiled at me.

"Don't think too hard, Jack. You might hurt yourself!" she giggled at me. I opened my mouth to make a quick comeback, but was suddenly surprised as something brushed right past my face! A stinging pain seeped into my head as the noise of metal striking stone resonated in the air.

Blood dribbled into my eyes as I noticed the spear embedded in the ground. The shaft of the weapon still quivered slightly from its supersonic flight across my forehead. The spear had flown from the top of the Poultry Farm, slashing a small line across my forehead. An inhuman laugh echoed through Mineral Town as I finally noticed the shimmer on the rooftops. Our hunter was back.


	9. Fight Club

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter 9:

Fight Club

_Incident+375 Hours. Fall 25th, Year 5_

"Jack, look out!" Ann screamed, moving to push me out of the way. I grunted as Ann shoved me sideways, and a flash of heat and a loud scream blotted out the noise of Lillia's panicked cries for help as she ran in the direction of the Inn.

"D..dd…damn it!" I yelled as I stood up, my ears ringing from the concussion of the blast. Then it occurred to me that Ann had shoved me out of the way, to take the full force of the energy bolt intended for me…

"Ann!" I yelled at the charred remains of the pathway. She was unharmed, the heat of the blast having only singed her clothes. The blast had barely missed her, a smoking crater two feet behind her a testament to this fact. I was relieved to see her unharmed, but as the hunter's outline shimmered in the afternoon sun, I knew that could change very quickly. Ann scuttled into the ditch and dove for cover as the hunter prepared another shot.

I drew Doug's pistol and fired. Shell casings littered the ground as I took a bead on the hunter, who hadn't moved from his perch on top of the roof. I noticed three small dots of red, slowly tracking across the ground from Ann's prone form to me. As the light centered itself on my forehead, I leaped to the side and into a ditch as the blue bolt sped over my head. Many bolts whizzed over my head as I tried to reach Ann- the cocky bastard was keeping myself away from my wife! I realized the futility of my efforts when Doug's pistol clicked empty. I reached for my back pocket, looking for the extra clip, but only felt charred flesh. The blast had literally melted my shirt and burned some of my back. I knew that would be smarting later…if there WAS a later at all.

The welcome sound of small-arms fire made me look up from my position in the ditch.

"Hey, asshole! Over here!"

Private Stacker challenged the creature, firing his rifle at the monster above my head. It cocked its head at him and leapt from the rooftop, leaping impossibly high into the air.

"Get back, kid. We'll handle this!" Larsen exclaimed as he barreled into the fight. Firing his combat shotgun at the rooftops, he began a long, barbaric yell at the creature, interlaced with rage.

"This is for Jenkins!" he yelled as the creature rolled off of the roof, landing on all fours in a crouch. Confidently, it weathered the storm of incoming gunfire, nimbly dodging the large tracer bullets of Nickson's machine gun, and the grenades launched by Stacker and Takatura. It reared it's head backwards and let out a loud, manaical laugh that chilled the blood in my veins.

"It's still coming! Fall back!" the sergeant, who by now had arrived with Nickson, Shiro, and Mira in tow. Larsen stubbornly held his ground.

"This fucker's going down!" he challenged, pumping the action of his gun. The hunter suddenly screamed in pain as the sound of bullets piercing flesh was heard. A small pool of green blood formed seemingly in mid-air, dribbling onto the ground.

Larsen finally began to fall back, hopping backwards while shooting rounds out of his shotgun at a pace I considered inhuman. I took advantage of this distraction to grab Ann by the arms and pull her out of the ditch. She snarled angrily at me and raised my shotgun, pointing it with one hand at the hunter. Managing only one burst of fire, Ann pulled the trigger of my shotgun and sent a shell flying towards the hunter. It paused and turned to look at her, turning off its cloaking generator to reveal the huge hunter underneath. The thing's ceremonial armor glinted in the sunlight.

"Come on, damn it!" Larsen screamed, trying desperately to buy us time to get clear. I dragged Ann away quickly, but the hunter was faster. In one swift motion, it leaped into the air, landing next to me while drawing a weapon from its belt. It backhanded me with its fist and fired the strange weapon at Larsen. He screamed in rage as a small net expanded from the weapon's tip and trapped him against the blacksmith's office.

Ann snarled in defiance as the hunter reached down to pick her up. In a final act of desperation, I leaped from my position on the ground and slammed head first into the hunter's gut. A small popping noise and a painful sensation in my shoulder were all that I felt as the hunter roared in surprise. It hadn't expected this final assault.

"Get away from her!" I yelled as I punched the hunter in the face. I felt my hand break as my left fist connected with the hunter's helmet, but I really didn't care. The cold metal facemask glared at me once more as I prepared for another attack. I never got the chance as a warm sensation washed over me. The Predator had fired the shoulder weapon at point-blank range, barely missing my head as I disengaged from the hunter. As much as the idea of going down in a cataclysmic explosion appealed to me, I really didn't want to be anywhere near this thing. The folly of my maneuver, however, became painfully clear as I rolled away from the hunter.

The first bolt struck the ground next to me. Dodging this first attack, I wasn't surprised when the second shot arched towards me; I barely dodged this one as well. The hunter gurgled at me angrily as I stood, glaring defiantly at the metal facemask. The blasts were powerful, but painfully slow, and easy to dodge.

And as suddenly as it had appeared, the hunter leapt back onto the roof and began to retreat! We had it on the run!

"Hit it now! Take him down!" the sergeant yelled, bolstering the rest of the Marines and rallying their fire. His sniper rifle boomed as his first two shots whizzed past the hunter's mask. The thing, however, was smarter than to stay visible, and quickly re-activated its cloaking generator and disappeared into the town.

"Damn it! Spread out and search, damn it! It's still alive!" The Marines panned out and began to sweep the town, searching for our runaway predator.

"Careful, it could be anywhere" Stacker cautioned, un-strapping a device from his belt. It looked like a small green box, and as he flipped a button on the side of the device, it chimed to life, erratically beeping every few seconds.

"What is that?" I asked him as he passed by my position.

"This hunk of junk? It's been acting weird ever since we made landfall…I only just got it working again. This is the only one my squad was assigned…stupid politicans. We pay taxes, for only one hunk of junk that doesn't work? Anyway, it's the Obsidian Systems 435 MT PRS, or the Tracker, as I call it. Why? YOU try saying Obsidian Systems 435 MT PRS in combat, and you'll be thinking up new nicknames faster than you can blink!" he chortled, showing me the device's display box. Several small dots slowly moved across the screen. The names of the Marines were labeled above the dots, which glowed bright blue.

"Batteries burn out pretty quick, too. I didn't want to use it until now, though. It'll be impossible to go find our little friend, now. I get the feeling he's still here, though. Jack, gather everyone in the Inn until we've finished our sweep. You'll all stay there for the night" Stacker ordered. I nodded and helped Ann stand.

"Are you alright?" she asked me. I nodded and imposed the same question on her.

"I think I need a new shirt, but I'm fine" she replied, fingering her burned shirt. The skin underneath the shirt was slightly blackened, but otherwise alright. Ann noticed my gaze and looked at me balefully.

"I'm fine, really!" she exclaimed. I nodded at her.

"Tell your dad to expect company. I'll ask Grey or Mary to help spread the word" I told Ann, going our separate ways as we reached the Inn. Going to the library, Basil hesitantly opened the door as I approached.

"Jack? What's up?" he asked, scanning the area behind me. I asked,

"Are Grey and Mary here?"

He nodded.

"Good. Go to the Inn. The Marines are putting us there temporarily until they catch this hunter. They have it on the run" Basil nodded and went to go get Anna, while a somber Grey marched down the stairs.

"Hey, Jack, did something happen? There was gunfire earlier…whoa, are you alright?" he asked as I bent over to slap a bug on my leg. I stood back up, but not in time for Mary to stick her head out and see the burns on my back.

"Jack! You're hurt again! Is that thing out there again?" she asked, eyeing me up and down. I nodded.

"Yea, it's back. Listen. Round up everyone. Bring them to the Inn; the Marines are setting up defenses for the night there until this thing is caught. Go, we haven't got much time!" I rapidly explained, dashing down the street to notify the others.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was assembled outside of the Library. Ellen was in a prehistoric wheelchair that looked like it was going to give out at any possible second, and Stu was hovering close by. Pastor Carter's hands were folded, and his normal smile was gone, instead replaced by a grim look. Elli and Tim were carrying a small medical bag with them, and warily glancing at my injuries.

"Again, Jack?" Tim sighed as he looked me up and down.

"Well, it isn't all that bad now, Tim. He's only slightly toasted compared to last time. All it needs is a band-aid and some time" Elli told me, smiling. Tim snickered.

"Well, maybe a BIG band-aid, but still..."

Tim agreed as well, smiling at Elli. Even though her thoughts were still doubtful, Tim and I both believed that Elli, despite her own thoughts, would make an excellent nurse someday. Elli flushed under Tim's appreciative glance.

"Let's go. Harris and the Mayor must be at the Inn already" I said after two more minutes had passed. We couldn't wait any longer; I was only surprised that the hunter hadn't found us all yet.

The Marines were back in front of the Inn, ushering people inside. Looks of nervousness and tension were the most apparent on all of their faces. Stacker gave us a nervous smile as he watched his green tracker, glancing up every now and then at the rooftops.

"Movement! Range, twenty two meters!" he suddenly moaned, glancing at us with a worried expression. The rest of us piled into the Inn, followed shortly by the Marines.

"It's coming. Close the windows" the sergeant ordered. The Marines quickly pulled the windows shut and began to nail boards over them. I knew that they wouldn't stop this creature if it really wanted to get into the Inn, but it would at least slow it down. The boards were hastily put into place, and sunlight still shone through the many gaps the marines had left in the windows. Through this small bit of light, I managed to see the black agent, casually leaning against the top banister of the Inn. What was he doing?

"Signal's clean. Range sixteen meters" Stacker reported. The Marines shouldered their weapons, pointing them towards the doors and boarded windows.

"Get everyone into the back rooms. This is gonna get ugly" the sergeant ordered. Doug and Zack began to help people into the back rooms. Cliff, Ann, Karen and I all stood our ground. The sergeant sighed as he looked at all of us. Pointing to Cliff, he said,

"Well, you've got our second Smartgun. You can stay. But the rest of you, get going" he said, waving at us dismissively. Karen puffed up indignantly, and Ann opened her mouth to start chewing the sergeant out.

"Now, listen here…!" Ann huffily began, unsheathing my shotgun from it's place at her back, but was suddenly cut off by Stacker's next report.

"Ten meters. Eight. Five! What the hell?" he yelled.

"That can't be, son. That's in here, with us!"

"Shut up, for a second!" I hissed. I thought I heard something, coming from the roof…

"Oh my god" Shiro's eyes widened in realization. The thing was on the roof. A loud crashing noise indicated that he had also cut his way into the building. The agent seem to almost dissapear as loud, heavy footsteps clunked thier way across the ceiling and into the hall above us.

"Oh, shit!" Larsen screamed as an all too familiar shimmer leapt into the room. This was beginning to become repetitive; when would this bastard just give up and go home? The Predator landed on the table in front of us; lashing out with its fists, it struck Takatura in the face and laughed as she reeled backwards, her head bruised and bleeding.

"Die, motherfucker!" Larsen yelled, firing his gun erratically. Squeezing the trigger and spraying the final two shells of his shotgun, he snarled in anger at the creature. The thing shrugged off the blows like they were nothing, and planted its leg firmly into Larsen's chest. He grunted and toppled backwards, sending tables and chairs flying.

"Let's rock!" Shiro yelled, firing her rifle at the creature. Shell casings littered the floor as her rifle sprayed a steady stream of lead in the direction of the hunter. As the bullets flew through the air, I just wondered what exactly this thing was made of. It absorbed the flying lead like a sponge absorbing water, unflinching and stoic. Suddenly, the hunter roared.

-

The Yautja was very, very grateful for the armor he was wearing. Normally, hunters would not wear armor during hunts, but this was a special case. Three times before, Yautja hunters had been killed during hunts. And each time, save the last massacre of three young bloods, they had been defeated by humans. This warrior would not underestimate the human's ingenuity, but the armor wasn't invincible, as a sharp pain in the hunter's side revealed. The hunter roared in anger, more than pain, and reached for the shi'ruken at his belt, just as his cloaking generator short-circuited and blew out for the final time…

-

The hunter re-appeared, a small dribble of green blood pooling at its feet. A shot must have been lucky and pierced the armor adorning the creature. The armor was gunmetal grey, and looked dented and scratched from all of its encounters with the Marines. The chestplate seemed to cover the entire upper torso and some of the neck, tapering down to several strips of metal hanging above the legs. At least it wasn't invincible.

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck are you?" Larsen yelled as the hunter pulled something from its belt. It reminded me of a ninja throwing star, but much bigger, and much deadlier looking. It threw the weapon with deadly aim at the fallen Takatura, who screamed in pain as the weapon dug into her shoulder, barely missing her heart. Her eyes rolled into her head as she went into shock. It reared its hand back to throw another star, but was interrupted by a large cracking noise, and a long, white trail of smoke and compressed air. It stumbled backwards several feet, before lowering itself into a crouch. The sergeant slowly lowered his sniper rifle and spat a wad of tobacco out of his mouth.

"Your mom" the creature gurgled, holding the sniper bullet between its two fingers! The sergeant's jaw hit the floor at the same time as his rifle as he stuttered and gasped.

"Holy shit!" he growled as the creature flung the bullet aside.

-

The Yautja was very pleased with himself. That move had been a one-time move, with help, thanks to the quick calculations of his helmet's HUD computer. He knew he probably couldn't do that again without losing a finger, but it was still very, very, great.

-

Stacker was the first to react. As the hunter had stumbled backwards several feet, he leapt on top of a table, pumping the action of his grenade launcher and sliding a grenade into the weapon. Roaring a challenge, he screamed,

"HIT THE DIRT!" before firing the grenade. We all didn't need telling twice. All of us hit the dirt at the same time as Stacker's grenade sailed through the air, on a crash course for the hunter's head!

**BOOM!**

The grenade exploded violently, showering the area in molten-hot flecks of wood and fire. Strangely, no bits of shrapnel were spread at all from the grenade's explosion, but who was complaining? I'd rather be as I was, without any large pieces of metal embedded in my spine.

Stacker was flung backwards, off of his table, and onto the floor beside me, barely missing my head with his fist. He laughed, coughing up blood as he beheld the smoking crater where the hunter had once stood.

It was then I noticed the long, pointy object embedded in his chest. It was the hunter's throwing star.

"Ha…ha, hahaha, urgh! I…got…you…!" he choked before he passed out. His rifle clattered to the floor next to him, smoking from his master's final shot that destroyed the hunter.

"Did we really get him?" Ann asked, slowly getting up. Mira grabbed Stacker's forgotten tracker, and slapped her palm against it several times.

"No good. The thing's circuitry is fried. He must have used an EMP grenade, sir" she reported, opening the panel of the device to reveal the fried circuits. The device was slagged.

"Our ATS systems are still working, though…spread out and search! Mira, Shiro, help me move Stacker upstairs. You two, Jack, Ann, get Takatura. They'll need medical attention" the sergeant ordered. Mira and Shiro grabbed the fallen Marine by the armpits and ankles, and dragged him upstairs. Karen watched him with concern.

"He's a good kid. Don't let him die" she told Mira as she passed. She nodded, and pulled him out of sight.

"Three down…damn, is that what it took to kill this thing?" the sergeant mumbled as he walked outside.


	10. Specialists?

Author's Note: An EXTREMELY short chappie. Why? Schoolwork is a killer, that's why! The original other half of this chapter is helping to fuel the next one, so, I'm not done yet. Thank you for all who have reviewed this mediocracy so far. -

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter 10:

Specialists?

"Now, boy, this is gonna hurt…" Tim warned a barely conscious Stacker. The Marine's eyes rolled in his head as Tim yanked the alien weapon out of his chest. His scream of agony tore through the paper-thin walls of the Inn, and made some of the crowd standing outside of the door blanch.

"Quick, Elli! Now!" Tim urged. Elli nodded grimly and plunged the needle into Stacker's neck. The Marine's eyes closed, and he lay still on the bloodstained cot. Elli put the needle down on the small table, and picked up her knife. Tim did the same, and they both opened up Stacker's wound, scouting the damage done.

"Wow…Tim, have you ever seen wounds like this before? Look at this," Elli gasped, horrified. She stared at the gory mess of blood and entrails splayed out before me.

"Damn it…we should have gotten him to the Clinic. This is sure to get infected…just look at it! That weapon must have some metallic fragments imbedded in it, look at this!" Tim cursed, extracting a large piece of metal from Stacker's chest.

"Oh, god! Do you think he's gonna make it?" Elli groaned, surveying the damage done.

"He'll make it. He's a marine" Mira softly answered, more to herself than anything. Shiro, one of the only combat medics, crouched over Takatura, the alien throwing star next to her. Takatura's face was pale, twisted and contorted with pain, even in unconsciousness.

"Come on! Come on! Stay with me, Marine!" Shiro grunted angrily, discarding a disposable needle. The instrument shattered when it hit the ground. Mira soundlessly swept the pieces up and out of Shiro's way as she continued work.

"Yo! Stop your grinning and drop your linen! We've…oh, oh my god" Larsen, covered in scrapes and cuts, and bleeding from a gash above his left eye, burst into the solemn atmosphere of the room. Elli and Tim gaped, and Shiro scowled at him with fury etched on every inch of her face. She slowly stood, flinging aside the bloody bandages and wiping her hands on her fatigues.

"What. Is. It?" she asked, slowly and deliberately. Larsen gulped and stepped backwards.

"Umm, I didn't think that…well, heh…but this is really important! We caught the hunter!" he reported. Everyone's heads snapped up immediately.

"You did? Where is it? How did it escape?" we all asked at once. Larsen held up his hands.

"Ok, one at a time! Apparently, our Predator lived and got away, but didn't quite escape the blast. We found him severely wounded, several hundred yards out. He was barely alive from what I could tell, and the sergeant was rigging up a stretcher to take him back here". At this, everyone's eyes widened in terror.

"Back here?" Basil gasped in horror.

"You all must be insane!" Won, who had been quiet for the last week, finally piped up. His garish yellow outfit contrasted with the darkness of the Inn's upper hallway, the void only punctured by the portable Marine flashlights and the hole in the ceiling made by the hunter.

"What if that thing wakes up again, huh? THEN what'll we do?" Zack yelled angrily. Gotz opened his mouth to speak, but a low, droning voice loftily floated through the tense atmosphere of the Inn.

"The creature will not wake. I can assure you of that"

The dark agent, sliding out from the shadows, coolly fingered his sunglasses and looked at all of us in turn. Ann's face reflected mistrust and confusion, and Mira glared at him, the hair on the back of her neck rising in anger.

"What makes YOU so sure?" Gotz challeneged. The agent's lip curled into a sneer as he replied,

"This Predator is not of this earth, but is still susceptible to many methods of…incapacitation. I assure you, he will not wake" the agent smoothly said. Gotz still didn't look very convinced. The agent's hand drifted, almost casually, to the inside of his black jacket.

"Now, everyone may return home. Return to your homes" he said, calmly and stoically. Several people grumbled, but they all began to slowly file out of the Inn. The agent smiled and looked up as the noise of a circling helicopter sounded through the skies.

"I did not think they would be here so soon" he smirked, walking slowly outside. I arched an eyebrow. What was he talking about?

"Uh…hey, Sarge!" Larsen shouted. The sergeant grunted, lifting a massive stretcher covered with a white bedsheet. Cliff and Nickson struggled at the other end, straining to keep the stretcher balanced.

"He's…so…heavy…" Nickson panted. Cliff grunted in agreement. Both their long, heavy weapons were strapped to their backs, and sweat glistened on both of their foreheads as the sergeant finally decided to set the stretcher down.

"Well, let's see this motherfucker" Larsen slapped his hands together and reached for the sheet. The sergeant, however, slapped his hand away.

"Now wait a minute, boy. We have guests knocking at the door; wouldn't do to not greet them!" the sergeant tried to re-capture his normal energy, but failed. In fact, the sergeant sounded almost…apprehensive. The sounds of a helicopter got progressively louder, and the sergeant stood, slinging his sniper rifle over his shoulder and spitting out his cigar. Doug huffed in indignation, but didn't say anything.

"Sir! The chopper has made landfall" Larsen reported, gazing out the window at the shining top of a military Black Hawk transport.

"Ok, marines. Let's go. Shiro, Mira, watch over our wounded. You two," he began, pointing towards Elli and Tim, "keep that boy alive. He's a good kid, and I'd hate to lose him". Tim grunted and Elli picked up a surgical knife, before continuing their gory work.

That left only Larsen, Nickson, the sergeant himself, and Cliff, the informal marine, to stand at attention outside. Karen, Ann, and I all rose and followed the three warriors outside.

The dark agent quietly slipped into formation, taking point in front of the sergeant, who meekly stepped aside and let him pass.

The Black Hawk pilot saluted as he stepped out of the chopper first. He was followed by two burly men, wielding two massive, fearful weapons. They impassively stared out at us, their hands on their weapons.

A huge, hulking man, with white hair and a strange badge with a strange insignia, strode out of the Black Hawk. His face was scarred with several long slashes that looked like they had been dealt by twin blades, side by side…

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I assure you, the specimen is in prime condition and ready for…examination" the agent said, bowing low to the ground. The white haired man smirked.

"Perfect" he purred, in a heavy Russian accent that seemed to suit him.

He turned to us.

"My name is General Asmov Rykov. This is my pilot, Fredric Eisenburg, and these two here" he pointed towards the two men, "are the pinnacle of human technology".

They certainly didn't look like any type of human technology that I could tell. In fact, they looked perfectly human. Their eyes were cold and heartless, but their form was still human.

"If you do not know what I mean…heh, then don't mess with these two. They're too for any of you to handle" General Rykov smirked. I arched an eyebrow at him.

"The specimen is inside of this building. Come with me, please…" the agent smoothly said, walking side by side with this "General". The Inn slowly drew into view, the gaping hole and the hastily boarded windows prominent.

We were about six paces away from the building when it exploded.

The second story of the Inn exploded, spraying fire and burning chunks of wood and metal everywhere. General Rykov impassively stood, watching the building burn. The agent's face was twisted in surprise, and the sergeant charged towards the burning building in horror.

Only one thought raced through my mind as I sped behind the sergeant: Ann. Ann, Doug, Elli, the two wounded Marines, Mira, Shiro, Elli and Tim were still inside!

And the hunter. I would bet every cent that had ever slipped through my fingers, against a toenail, that the hunter was behind this attack.

"No! The specimen!" the agent yelled. The hunter was nowhere in sight. The two guards raised their weapons, looking around.

"Shiro? Stacker? You hear me, Marines?" the sergeant called, sifting through the rubble. Cliff and I desperately flung boards aside, calling frantically for any survivors of the blast.

Suddenly, a gloved hand shot up from the rubble. I moved to grasp the appendage, pulling at it with my own hands.

"Wait, Jack, no!" Cliff yelled, trying to bring his massive weapon to bear on the arm. But he wasn't fast enough to stop the arm from clamping around my throat. I gagged and fell backwards, as a huge, armored beast rose from the rubble. It was our hunter. And he looked pissed.


	11. A Hunter's Flight

Author's Note: Well, I'm swamped with work right now…so I'm not sure how great this is going to be. I've taken a leaf from Beezulbub's "Nightmare in Mineral Town", which will become prominent in the chapter. And Panzer, yourWWII/ Harvest Moon story, a small reference to that story is embedded in this chapter( BTW, what Predator game? Concrete Jungle isn't out yet, IS IT? ). And, yes, General Rykov and Stacker's rifleman who blew himself to bits with a Pulse Rifle Grenade, Harrison, are references to AVP 2, which is amazing online! To those who know me, I am darkjedi908, kamikaze noob and spawnkiller extrordinare! (XD)

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter 11:

A Hunter's Flight

_Incident+378 Hours, Fall 25th, Year 5_

"Gaaah…ahhh!" I choked over the hunter's glove. Even from behind its metal facemask, I could tell the hunter was seething. Enraged, and in general terms, EXTREMELY pissed off.

My head rolled backwards as the hunter slammed its fist into my gut, forcing the last bit of air out of my lungs. Behind me, Cliff levied for a clear shot at the hunter.

"Jack! Get down!" he yelled, firing his weapon at the creature. The ammunition belt draped around his shoulders seemed to fly into the chamber of the weapon, spitting molten bits of lead at the hunter. The massive beast staggered, and pulled at a weapon on its belt.

The weapon was spherical in shape and pulsated with a strange light. It looked like a throwing disc. Cliff depressed the firing lever of the gun, continuing to spit bullets at the hunter, which grunted as a trio of bullets pierced its armor.

The disc glowed red for a second, and then flew as its owner flung it at Cliff. It spun quickly, more like a Frisbee of Doom than anything. Cliff jerked his weapon to bear on the approaching object, and spat a quartet of rounds that slightly altered the projectile's course. Instead of severing Cliff's head, the weapon merely sliced Jenkins' gun in two, the bisected gun falling to the ground.

The hunter roared in triumph. Cliff scrambled backwards, tripping and falling over rubble. He gasped as the hunter stretched out its hand, recalling the circular disc. It flew back into its master's hand, and took its place at the hunter's belt.

Blackness crept into my vision. The hunter was squeezing tightly, threatening to snap my neck. I would never see Ann or the others again…unless they were dead, of course. Then I'd be joining them shortly.

A roar of surprise barely scratched the surface of the darkness in my vision. Air swept back into my lungs, and I gasped, falling to the ground. The hunter had released me, but why? The answer was clear when the hunter roared and slammed the back of its fist into Mira's face. The metal pipe Mira held clattered to the floor as she spun in the air. The hunter roared and raised its leg to smash her skull in.

Shiro suddenly sprang from underneath the rubble. Her right arm was bent and crooked, hanging limp at her side, but she was still able to grip a combat knife in her left hand. The hunter caught her wrist as the arm finished its sweeping arc, meant to stab the blade deep into the hunter's neck. She cried out in pain as he snapped the bones in her arm, and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying backwards into the rubble. Her chest plate was completely shattered, a gaping hole bashed in where the hunter's leg had struck.

"Stay down!" Larsen yelled, throwing his own knife like a javelin at the hunter. It clanged off of the hunter's helmet, leaving a deep scratch to add to the dented, blackened exterior of the mask. The hunter shrugged the blow off and grabbed the fallen Mira by the throat. Her head rolled on her shoulders as he flung her at Larsen, who grunted as the Marine slammed into his face. The sergeant cursed.

"Damn!" he snarled and fired his sniper rifle. The high-caliber rounds completely missed the hunter, who had initiated his roll before the sergeant had even raised his rifle. He rolled, and quickly kicked the sergeant in the head with his metal boot.

"Open fire!" General Rykov commanded. The entire scenario that had just unfolded couldn't have taken any more than ten seconds, at most. The two guards didn't hesitate to fire on the hunter. Their huge weapons spat fire and metal at the creature, to no avail. The hunter's armor was enough to weather the few hits it did sustain as an evasive jump and roll brought it out of the range of the guns. An almost superhuman jump catapulted the hunter into the trees, which were promptly chewed into mulch by the miniguns carried by the two guards.

"Target lost, General" the first one duly reported. The second one turned, watching the trees. The General cursed.

"Damn it!"

The sound of shifting rubble startled me. Tim and Elli slowly stood. Stacker and Takatura were beneath them, still on their cots, unharmed. But where were Doug and Ann?

"Elli, quickly! Doug's under here!" Tim yelled, trying to pull a large beam that had once held the roof up off of a small pile of boards. The sergeant, who had recovered his composure, stood and helped Tim pull the massive beam out of the way. The boards shifted, and Tim dragged a beaten Doug out of the rubble. Ann was lying beside him, shielded by her father's body. She immediately stood and rushed to her father, who lay on his back.

"Dad? Dad, are you alright?"

Doug groaned as he replied,

"I feel like I got hit by a truck. Everything hurts…wait, well, not everything. I can't feel my legs at all…" he explained, a note of panic rushing into his voice at the last bit. Tim's eyes betrayed worry as he spoke next, urgently giving directions to Doug.

"Doug? Try to move your legs, please!"

Doug's face expressed clear confusion as he stayed limp on the ground.

"We'll get him to the Clinic. This may be hard for you two to hear, but I believe that Doug is paralyzed from the waist down. We'll check him out, but there isn't much we can do if he is paralyzed. I'm sorry" Tim said grimly, moving to pull Stacker and Takatura from the ruins. Ann stared blankly at Tim.

"Surely there isn't something you can do?" she asked. Tim shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Ann. There is nothing I can do. Your father will still be able to function like a normal human, just without use of his legs…that's all" Tim shrugged. Ann shuddered slightly, and began to sob loudly. Tim looked at me with sympathy as I held Ann to my shoulder.

"General, the specimen has left the perimeter. No sign of it on any Doppler or passive sensors" the first commando noted. Then I remembered Larsen and Takatura's mission to seed the woods and perimeter of the town with some kind of early warning system, and this must be it.

"We shall pursue it. The specimen will not escape us. Pilot, prepare the helicopter. We're going now" the General stated. I raised my hand and stood up.

"Going where?" I asked. The General looked at me quizzically.

"After the specimen" he responded coolly. Despite the fact that I had just met him, and didn't truly trust him, and had probably pushed all of my luck for the day, I responded,

"No! You can't go after it! It's already killed off several townsfolk, and will be waiting for you if you pursue it into the woods!" I warned. He sneered.

"Little farmer, I do know, unlike you, what I am dealing with. An alien from another planet. A hunter, a stalker, and good one, I might add. My men and I can deal with him"  
he waved his hand dismissively, striding off to his chopper. I sprinted after him.

"At least let me come with you. He's killed several of my friends, and I want to see him go down" I said. I secretly doubted that this General could succeed, but with these two burly men backing him up, the least I could do was go watch the downfall of this hunter.

The General nodded and strode to his helicopter. Motioning for his men to assist him, he began to unload several crates from the back of the helicopter. There were three crates in all. By this time, Karen, Gotz, Grey and Mary, and Harris had fallen into step behind us, wordlessly knowing what was about to happen. Their faces reflected grim determination. Every one of them had faced this monster before and lived. What would happen now, none of us knew.

The General pried open the first container, and the black gleam of several M41A Pulse Rifles gleamed in the midafternoon sunlight. Karen boldy strode first, grabbing one of the rifles, three clips of ammunition, and four grenades. Sliding the first magazine into the weapon and cycling the chamber, she clicked the safety on and clipped the grenades to the sides of the rifle.

"Can any of you shoot a military carbine?" the General asked, holding up another M41A Rifle. Gotz strode forward, taking the rifle in his massive hands, and clumsily sliding a clip into the rifle, attempting to imitate Karen's finesse but failing. He still managed to get the weapon loaded and the safety on, though.

Grey stepped forward next and hesitantly picked up a smaller, more compact, version of Larsen's old flamethrower. He slung it over his shoulder before picking up a standard-issue military sidearm. He looked clearly uncomfortable wielding both weapons.

Harris put his own pistol down and traded it in favor of a military-grade shotgun and one of the carbines, both loaded with full clips of ammunition. Zack followed suit and picked up two carbines, slinging them over his shoulders. The General sneered.

"Two carbines? A waste of weapons and ammunition, my friend"

Zack glowered at him and pulled himself into the chopper. Mira and Cliff sprinted after us, Ann trailing behind them. Larsen, whose face was bruised and bleeding, followed. And after him came Nickson and the sergeant.

"We're coming, too!" Ann panted, crouching over and panting. The General sneered at her. Cliff stepped forward and pushed her back.

"I'm sorry, Ann. You can't go"

Ann glared at him indignantly.

"Why not? You're going! Jack is going! They're all going!" she screeched, pointing to the others boarding the chopper. Cliff shook his head.

"I'm a marine now. Jack has fought this thing before, and wants to see it taken down, and they all aren't pregnant! You can't go- what if you get killed out there? Jack will never forgive himself! Do you want him to suffer for the rest of his life?" Cliff questioned Ann. Ann looked down and replied,

"But what if Jack dies? Our children…they'll never know their father". Cliff and I knew what had happened to Ann's mother, and how she had grown up with her father as her last surviving family member.

"I won't die, Ann. We're gonna take this thing down" I declared with a confidence that didn't quite reach my gut. She still pleaded with her eyes, pleaded me to stay and be safe, not to face this monster. That was not an option. Mary embraced Ann as Cliff snatched a carbine out of the box and was the last one to board the chopper as it took off, straining to get off the ground because of it's many passengers.

Larsen slapped a patch onto his face, masking his visage. Blood seeped onto the white cloth, gruesomely painting it a crimson color. The pilot called,

"Sir, target re-aquired, bearing 3 o clock. I can free up the chainguns on the nose and open fire, if you wish…" the pilot began. Rykov waved his hand dismissively.

"Do not open fire yet. We must capture this creature alive". The pilot blanched and aimed the chopper's nose in the direction of a clearing in the trees. This was where the hunter had fought Zack and myself weeks before.

"Thirty seconds! Heads up!" the pilot called. I stared into the faces of everyone aboard the chopper with me. A motley crew at best. Three defeated marines, their souls shattered, their wills broken by an invisible menace. The sergeant's face had lost all of it's usual luster and defiance, the wad of tobacco missing from his mouth. Larsen's arrogant face was now contorted into a painful grimance, from what I could see beyond the face bandage. He held the carbine in a confident grip, though, and silently thumbed a grenade in his palm. If he was going to die, he would try to take the hunter with him.

Karen, the aspiring actress and "town hottie". Her beautiful face was twisted with hate and a determined fury that I had never guessed possible from her. The knuckles that gripped the military carbine were white, and her formerly soulful, happy green eyes, were cold and heartless. She was out for revenge.

Harris' face displayed a nervousness I had never seen from him before. His job had been peaceful, simply resolving conflicts between other villagers. I had never really gotten to know Harris, but he was a good man, too good to be sent off to die on a suicide mission against an unbeatable foe.

Zack's face was contorted. He was no longer the happy, fun loving man who cracked jokes with me as he collected my harvest for the day. He was now nothing more than a man, a scared man, facing against a monster, before which his imposing physical size and good nature could not compete. His face was fearful, but determined to see this operation through to the end.

Gotz and I had gotten to know each other over the five years I had lived in Mineral Town. I had seen a side of Gotz no one but possibly Karen had seen; the caring, compassionate side of Gotz. His wife and child were lost one day at the summit of Mother's Peak during a rainstorm, and the empty cottage in the mountains he had built as a tribute to them. Some, like the town gossips Sasha, Anna, and Manna thought he was a heartless monster for never publicly shedding a tear for his lost kin, but I knew better. He was a man who was badly hurt, but could still love. His face betrayed nothing as the chopper began to descend.

Grey looked ready to wet himself. He was a city boy, like myself, unhappy with Mineral Town. He was the grandson and apprentice to Saibara, the town blacksmith. Grey was kind and quiet, and in my opinion, perfect for someone like Mary. I knew Mary would be heartbroken if Grey died on this crazy mission. The two probably didn't even know that they loved each other, but it was obvious to many who looked closely enough. He knew as well as I did, though, that he had a duty to accomplish, and would not back down until he had either walked away victorious, or had been slain by this alien.

Cliff was an enigma to me. His katana was strapped to his side, and a semi-automatic pistol was tucked conspicuously into his jacket. He also carried the military carbine. His past was unknown, it being an almost unspoken agreement between us to never speak of such a painful thing for Cliff. His face looked almost sinister in the darkness, a drastic change from the shy, respectful boy I knew. His eyes seemed to glow with a fire I had never seen before, as the chopper's door opened.

"Let's go! Move it up!" the sergeant yelled, but with very little confidence.

Mira. The only unknown in the equation of the seven marines. Her face reflected a clear determination, not unlike Karen's. Jenkins and Mira had worked before, but I did not know when. Whatever that was, there was no time to think about it now. She looked around the trees, and then to the crater. As she started to move towards it, a loud roar echoed through the trees. It threatened to split my eardrums in half, and I had no doubt that it was our hunter. It would not be long now.

-

The Yautja paused for a moment, resting against a tree. It could not make it any farther. The hunting equipment and stimulants would only push him so far. The human vehicle roared overhead, and the Yautja knew he would have to fight the humans one last time to get to his ship.

Pressing several buttons on the side of his wrist-computer, he extracted two short blades from the humming machine. Peeling off his ceremonial chestplate, the Yautja shut his eyes under his helmet, and stabbed the blade deep into his chest.

The roar shattered the forest as the rain began to fall.

-

I gripped the shotgun as tightly as I could as Mira quietly whispered,

"He's coming"

The two men escorting General Rykov shifted, pointing their guns to the trees. The chopper's blades stopped spinning, and the pilot stepped out, pistol at the ready.

"Sir, Doppler is picking up something very big headed this way. Should I take our bird up?" the pilot asked, casting a worried glance into the trees. My eyes turned into dots as I realized exactly what I was standing next to: several tons of live ammunition, rockets, and gasoline. And the hunter was on his way back.

"RUN!" I yelled, jumping out of the way. Rykov cast me an odd look, looking from me, cowering behind a rock, my hands above my head, and to the chopper. His expression was almost priceless as he realized the thoughts that had entered my mind.

-

The Yautja paused for a second, sliding the healing blades back into its wrist-computer. Slowly standing up, the Yautja took inventory; only his Plasmacaster, Combi-stick, one shi'ruken, homing disc, and, of course, ceremonial wrist-blades had survived the past few units fighting the human warriors. His plasma pistol, which ran off of power from his hunting mask, was bent and twisted beyond recognition, useless. The Yautja snarled and threw the broken device onto the ground.

Moving through the trees, the Yaujta surpressed a laugh as he saw what the humans had done. Their vehicle was right out in the open. The Yautja pressed a button on the side of his mask, and powered up his Plasmacaster….

-

"Jack, wha-?" Gotz began. That was all he managed before the helicopter exploded in a brilliant flash of light, sending the burly man flying. Zack sailed past on my left, and one of the General's guards, on fire, ran past my right. Grey was thrown about six feet backwards, eventually slamming onto the ground in a heap. Karen, taking cover about one second after I did, crouched behind me, eyes squeezed shut.

The explosion's roar eventually deafened, and the last chunks of metal fell. The General slowly rose and screamed in anger.

"Come out, you big bastard!" he yelled into the trees. The sergeant held up his hand.

"Now, sir, I don't think that this is the smartest thing to…"

The sergeant's eyes went blank as the shining metal disc embedded itself into his gut. As he slowly gazed down at the metal object and slumped to the ground, a loud roar of triumph echoed through the trees as the hunter leapt into the air.


	12. One, ugly

Author's Notes: This took too long to write (I do have a life, yes. Besides, how many people read this again? Lol ). Anyway, I'll be converting all of the previous chapters into 1st person perspective, starting with this one. The sequel, which may involve some characters from "MORE Friends of Mineral Town" (oh jeez, can you guess who :D), is coming up soon. Oh, and for you people just DYING to flame me, go ahead. I don't care anymore, go ahead.

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter 12:

One, ugly…

As the sergeant's body fell, crumpled and broken, Mira and Karen sprang into action. The Predator landed slightly behind us, sprinting towards the hole in the ground. Karen swung her rifle around and opened fire in short, erratic bursts. The hunter was already gone, however, and pulling out the long spear that had pierced Jenkins' chest. Twirling this weapon several times through the air, he jump-kicked one of the General's guards. The man had no idea what hit him.

The second guard turned to face the hunter. It, in the blink of an eye, leaped and rolled towards the man and, bringing it's spear up and around, sliced the man from shoulder to groin. The man stood there, blinking stupidly for a second, before his two halves split, and the chunks of flesh hit the ground.

A white, milky fluid burst from the bisected man and sprayed all over the General's uniform. Wait a second…white? Instead of red blood shooting all over the place, a white, sticky fluid seeped everywhere. The fallen guard twitched once, and lay still. The entrails of the man didn't look like, in my opinion, organic human innards should. It almost looked…synthetic, but that was impossible, right?

But then what was the white fluid?

The other guard fired off a three second burst of automatic fire, from his prone position on the ground. The massive slugs sailed through the air in almost slow motion. The hunter spun its spear around in a tight circle and absorbed the bullets with the weapon's handle. The last shot managed to snap the weapon in half, and the slug pierced the hunter's arm. The creature roared in pain, and slammed the spear through the man's head, sending more of the white fluid, and this time, something completely unexpected, flying out the other side of the skull.

A large microchip, about the size of my finger, was impaled on the end of the hunter's spear. My eyes widened in realization as I figured out what these men were.

"Synthetic humans?" I mumbled to myself. Grey and Karen had come to the same conclusion as I did, because they were both staring incredulously at the fallen guards.

The General snarled and stood, baring his teeth and brandishing a huge pistol. He fired two shots at point-blank range, hitting the hunter twice. Green blood dribbled down the hunter's armor.

I could tell this thing was really pissed with us now. We had wounded it multiple times, shot it, blew it up, and buried it under a building, and it still came back, time after time. He was rightfully mad at us. He had probably come here, expecting an easy hunt, to destroy us all within days. So far, it had been weeks since the hunter had first landed and Rick disappeared.

The hunter stepped forward and grabbed the pistol out of the General's hands. He crushed the metal and plastic of the weapon, and slammed it down into the General's head. He crumpled, a heap on the ground, and lay still.

Karen, however, was anything but still. She opened fire with her carbine as soon as the General hit the ground. Five bursts of fire spat from her carbine, the military carbines being set to three round bursts, unlike their rifle counterparts. The hunter grunted as he absorbed the first burst of fire, and was out of the way by the time Karen's finger had squeezed the trigger for the third burst. He had leapt high into the air, and to my surprise, landed right in front of Gotz. Gotz never had a chance. The hunter stabbed his wristblades deep into Gotz's gut. As the large man stumbled backwards, the hunter slashed at Gotz's neck. He fell to the ground, eyes blankly staring at me from across the field.

"No! Gotz!" Zack yelled, firing both of his carbines at the hunter. The roar of gunfire was eclipsed by the hunter's snarl of anger, and Zack slowly backed up as the hunter's blades snapped the barrel of his left rifle cleanly in half. He continued to fire his carbine, however, until the weapon clicked empty. I then remembered that being smaller than the rifles carried by the Marines, the carbines held half of the ammunition the rifles did. Zack gasped in fear as the hunter's clicking gurgle accompanied its raised fist.

Grey, however, had other plans. He, in an act of courage that surprised me, heroically stepped in front of Zack, and depressed the firing lever for his flamethrower. The napalm shot out like a demented squirt gun, catching itself on fire as it passed the primer flame. The burning liquid coated the hunter thoroughly, eliciting a roar from the alien.

"Get away from him!" Grey yelled, just as the flamethrower ran out of napalm. Dropping the weapon, Grey pulled out the sidearm, and fired six armor-piercing shots at the hunter.

The creature staggered under the force of the armor piercing rounds. It panted for breath as it finally caught up with Grey. It lifted him into the air and tossed him aside like a rag doll. Grey crumpled to the ground and didn't move.

It seemed to favor one side over the other as it turned to face us. Cliff, Karen, Mira, Zack and I all stood our ground, our weapons raised high. The hunter seemed to relax for a second, cockily, before reaching a hand up towards its face.

"What's it doing?" Cliff silently whispered. Karen merely narrowed her eyes and took a bead on the hunter's head, but hesitated as she saw what the hunter was about to do next.

Several tubes connected to the blackened helmet were pulled out of place by the hunter's dexterous fingers. Steam hissed and spewed forth from these for a second.

And, to our collective curiosity, the hunter put both of its hands on the sides of the helmet, and tugged. More steam issued forth from behind the helmet, and slowly, the mask came off. It fell to the ground with a clang as the hunter slowly looked up at us.

To say it was ugly was an understatement. Quite possibly the understatement of the century, to be exact. I had never seen anything like the creature standing before me, ever, in all of my years.

"You're one, ugly, motherfucker…" Karen gasped. The hunter threw its head back and roared. The red scaly skin of the hunter's face was covered in scars, and the beady, yellow eyes of the creature were focused.

Quickly, the hunter leapt forwards, dashing towards us. Cliff and I were frozen, too startled to move. Mira, however, acted faster than all of us. She stepped in front of a startled Karen, and flung her to the side.

The hunter paused for a moment, and stepped right in front of Mira, glaring impressively down at her. Mira fearlessly glared back. The hunter reached out and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her into the air. She dangled in the hunter's massive grip, at least two feet off the ground.

Cliff shifted next to me.

"What are you waiting for?" Cliff hissed, raising his rifle and firing at the hunter. That proved to be a big mistake, as the hunter merely absorbed the bullets and held Mira in front of him, preventing any future attacks. Cliff tried to angle for a better shot, but the hunter left no openings for him to exploit.

"Come on, Jack!" he yelled, fumbling with a grenade. Karen held up her hand.

"Stop! You'll kill Mira! And besides, one grenade might not kill that thing!" she warned. Cliff snarled angrily and slid the grenade into the launcher, pumping the action of the gun and aiming at the pair…

-

The Yautja silently gazed into the defiant eyes of the human before him. Or was it truly human?

_It is you. I tried to meet with you before, but fate had us separate too soon._

The human stared back with glazed eyes.

_Only Jenkins and I knew…you, you have been stalking me. Stalking me for all these years. Why? _The human silently asked. The Yautja was not surprised that this special human could communicate mentally to him as well. Then again, this was not an ordinary human.

_You do not know by now? Allow me to show you_

As the Yautja concentrated for a moment, the human screamed.

-

As Cliff was about to take a risk and fire the grenade, Mira twitched in the hunter's grasp and screamed. Screamed louder than I had ever thought possible.

The hunter's eyes seemed to shine as Mira dropped to the ground. The marine landed with a dull thud, splayed out across the earth and soil. She thrashed and screamed, holding her head as if in pain.

Cliff stepped forwards, intending to rush to aid Mira. The hunter, however, glared at him and stepped in front of her, almost protectively. Why was he doing this now?

"Back off. I don't know what he did to her, but I think you should back off, Cliff" Karen cautioned. Cliff glared at both of us, but kept his rifle aimed at the hunter. It laughed mockingly at him as Mira stopped thrashing on the ground.

-

(Mira's POV)

I instantly understood everything that had gone throughout my life. Why everything about me was so odd. Why the majority of my life had been in military duty.

I was an adopted child, supposedly found in the back alleys of the big city, close to Mineral Town, in fact. My adopted parents had been drunkards and drug-addicts, but they did supply me with the basics needed for life. But my father was abusive, and he became intolerable. So I ran away at the age of fourteen and joined the Marines.

The recruiting officer had been reluctant to let me join. After I punched him in the face and held him over a ten-story drop, however, he quickly changed his mind. I had felt that the Marines had been the best choice for somebody like me. I was nobody, a weird freak of nature. People stared at my odd complexion, the four small bumps on my face, said to be marks left by my supposed surrogate parents from when I was very young. But I always remembered having them, and when I really tried, I could make an odd-clicking sound from the back of my throat with them.

But it wasn't until my second assignment in the jungles of Brazil that the strange things began to happen. We were sent to put down a local terrorist cell, quietly. It was a covert op, to assassinate the leaders of the cell, who were influential in the Brazilian government.

It wasn't until the skinned bodies started appearing that things became complicated. Members of our unit would disappear, and their bodies, mutilated and missing their skulls, would turn up, days later.

And one night, about one month into the mission, it came. In the dark of night, the thing came. Private Jenkins, who was part of my squad at the time, was there. He claimed to know nothing about the incident, but I know he saw the hunter as well.

These telepathic alien creatures were merely coming to earth to hunt. Like a human on safari, they would find the strongest "clan" of human warriors, and kill them. One by one. Some were honorable, killing only one or two humans. Some even detested killing us, settling for observing the human race slowly killing itself off.

These creatures were far beyond us. We humans would never be able to compete with them alone. But then, I wasn't human. Not fully, anyway.

All of this knowledge had been imparted to me thanks to the hunter. It stood in front of me, guarding me from Cliff, who aimed his grenade launcher directly at us.

Cliff, the poor, lonely traveler with a mysterious past. He never said anything, but I knew. I knew because the hunter knew, and now, we knew and understood what the other did.

Cliff had been part of the rebel action at the legendary battle of Somalia. He had killed a female Army Ranger. And in the end, she died, trying to protect him.

That woman was my mother. Or, at least, said the hunter. My biological mother was a soldier, just like me. She had been alive only a decade ago, having abandoned me after realizing what I truly was.

My biological father was even more startling to me, but made the most sense. I had always had a talent for knowing exactly what people were going to do before they did it. I could avoid fights easily, or effortlessly win any battle due to my uncanny physical speed and strength. And now I know why, because my father…was a Yautja.


	13. Into the Depths

Author's Note: Long Author's Note, really short chapter. Jeez, I WANT PREDATOR: CONCRETE JUNGLE! I've been playing too much AVP 2, too much A and not enough P. Aliens and Colonial Marines are amazing, but shouldn't there be separate games for both? They should have completed "Colonial Marines" for the PS 2, now that they have Concrete Jungle out (even though my friend tells me you STILL have to fight aliens as the predator….TTTT). All of my ideas come from the Aliens movie, the Predator movies, or AVP. The two guards of Rykov are synthetics (think Bishop…my third favorite character, after Hudson and Vasquez, of course!) Remember, everything will be re-formatted to 1st person perspective soon, along with…the SPECIAL EDITION OF THIS FIC! Yay!

Prey to a Hunter 13

Chapter 13:

Into the depths…

(Jack)

Mira lay completely still on the ground. The hunter was standing above her, glaring down at her, its face finally bared against the cool air of the evening. The chopper still smouldered, casting a warm glow over the scene. I found it deceptively peaceful, and would have almost relaxed, had not a large, alien creature stood before me, glaring at all of us in turn.

Karen's hands were tight on her rifle as she prepared to strike. It was almost inconceivable to me how focused she was on the implement of war. I really had to see it to believe it. Karen, the town hottie, that most of the town's heterosexual males crushed over at one point or another, who couldn't cook for her life (the dish she cooked for me making this statement obvious), was now acting like a hardcore soldier. It seemed way out of character for someone like her. I almost felt like a divine being, up there in some high place, was laughing at us, writing this like one would a story, and twisting everything out of character.

Ann's spontaneous mood swings I could excuse as pregnancy, however. She had been showing more emotion lately than I had ever thought possible. She almost seemed like a new person.

What was I doing, thinking about my wife's mood swings when a killer alien stood right in front of me? I was really losing my mind.

Karen shifted position ever so slightly, readying her rifle. The hunter held out its hand to Mira, who, to my surprise, took it and stood up. She looked slowly at all of us in turn, her face expressionless. She had changed somehow, I could see it, but yet, I could not. Mira reached up and unbuckled her chest armor, and dropped her helmet to the ground.

"I'm sorry, everyone" she said, before lunging forward and…

"Oh my god!" Karen managed to scream. I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst…

(Mira)

The hunter that stood before me knew everything. He was a respected warrior, having brought home the skulls of dozens of humans on his hunts. He would only kill with honor, letting his "prey" know that he was there, stalking them for several days, and then confronting them in an all-out fight. He was my father's compatriot and partner during the hunts. Until, of course, my father was killed. He had hunted in the large city of Los Angeles, America, several years ago. He did not know the human he mated with had borne his daughter when a human police officer killed him in a "fair duel", at least by Yautja traditions.

He and my mother had met under the strangest of circumstances. She was part of the US Army Rangers, during the final days of Operation: Desert Shield. The Yautja had come to Earth during this conflict, and had watched as the events of the short war unfolded. The skinned bodies and brutal, yet finessed, slaughters took place in Baghdad, Kuwait City, and other towns where the fighting was heaviest. The Yautja did not like to admit it, but they were a dying breed. Mating with humans was seen as beneficial for their survival, and all Yautja/human mixes were either abducted from their homes shortly after birth, or killed, seen as weak by the pure-blooded warriors. Some Yautja had even taking to abducting and raping humans, taking the fertilized cell from the human, and then killing her. Many of the older, nobler warriors saw this as heresy, but the middle-aged and younger hunters saw this as the only way to propagate their species.

I knew what I had to do. I couldn't turn my back on my heritage, even though I was still part human.

"I'm sorry, everyone" I said, tearing my Marine armor off. I wouldn't be needing it. Karen immediately knew what I was about to do, and screamed at me to stop. I couldn't stop now, not with so much at stake.

I charged forwards, and getting a small amount of distance between myself and the surprised Yautja, I wheeled about and jump-kicked him in the head. The warrior reeled in surprise, which gave me just enough time to rush up to him, snatch the long spear from his belt, and run completely the other way, towards the crater in the ground.

I only had seconds. The Yautja was already recovering, so I slid down the sides of the hole, and landed on the orange, alien metal at the bottom of the pit. The hunter roared in anger behind me.

Using every inch of strength in my body, I pulled at the metal doors. The metal screeched and bent under my arms. The hunter was right behind me as I slid down, into the bowels of his ship…

(Cliff)

I was stunned. Simply stunned by what had just happened. Did I even understand what had just occurred in front of me? That Mira had been the one to distract the hunter and draw it away from us?

I looked once at Jack and Karen, who looked right back at me, both confused. I knew what I had to do. I sprinted down into the crater, following Mira and the hunter into the depths of what I believed to be the hunter's ship.

"Cliff! Wait!-" Jack yelled after me. But I knew that I could not wait for anything. That thing was going to kill Mira, and unless I wasn't mistaken, she was going in to save Rick and Manna. I doubted personally that they were alive, but I would not leave Mira to die at the hands of the hunter. Gripping my carbine in my sweaty hands, I plunged down into the ship, listening to the sounds of retreating footsteps. They echoed throughout the halls of this…spaceship, if that was what it was.

I was completely blown away by what awaited me in the next room.


	14. Hunt's End

Author's Note: I really have to stop this. Writing. It's too addictive. (no, j/k, for the two and a half people who actually read my stories, lol). I MUST work on my Halo fic, and this chapter contains a precursor to what may become a sequel to this fic. When you see it, it's painfully obvious. Have fun.

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter 14:

Hunt's End

(Jack)

I followed Cliff quickly, sprinting down the misty corridors of this surrealistic hallway. It looked like something out of a little shop of horrors. The corridor was painted in an orange glow that seemed to come from the walls themselves, and the floor was covered in mist. It was certainly very hot inside this ship.

"Whew…is it hot in here, or what?" Karen commented. I nodded earnestly.

By now, Cliff's footsteps had receeded into the bowels of the ship. Karen and I stopped, panting, and turned to each other.

"Damn…Cliff's fast" I gasped. Karen nodded.

"How far does this ship go?" she asked rhetorically.

"I think we're headed down, deep into the ground" I replied. Karen stood up, nodded, and held her rifle up high. We trudged even deeper into the ship.

After another minute or two, the corner rounded, and Zack caught up to us. We all nodded at each other, and rounded the corner.

(Mary's POV)

Ann silently stared forwards, not moving. We were sitting back at the Library together, in front of one of the many large bookshelves dominating the room. She hadn't moved from that one position for a long time, now. The wounded marines, Stacker, Takatura, and now Shiro, were positioned on small mattresses on the ground. My father, Basil, sat in a chair over them, his jaw set and his face expressionless. My mother, Anna, twiddled her thumbs in a worried manner next to him.

Ann had made many attempts to befriend me over the course of our younger life together. I was the shy, nerdy girl who lived in the Library. Ann was the smart, funny, tomboy who served drinks at the Inn. Anyone with a brain and a pair of eyes could guess how I felt next to her. Not that I felt any different next to the other girls. Karen was adored by all males in the town, even the traveling merchant, Won. Popuri was always to morale-booster, with her happy attitude and positive outlook on life, if you discounted her naiveté. And Elli was always the nicest of us all, always putting herself last to help other people.

"You ok?" I asked, stepping over to put my arm around Ann. She nodded, and leaned on me, still staring blankly forward.

"Aren't you worried?" she asked me. I looked at her quizzically.

"About Grey? About what it would be like if he died?" she asked. I pondered that question for a second, and answered.

"Of course I am! It's just that, if he dies, it will be for a good cause. He's gone out there to protect us. Me. This town, and everybody in it. So if he dies, it won't be so sad"

Ann looked at me, directly in the eyes. She was on the verge of tears, poor girl.

"How can you say that?" she asked me, in a broken tone. I looked her back in the eyes, a bold move that I did not think myself capable of before.

"Pull yourself together, Ann. This isn't helping" I confidently said, projecting more confidence than I personally had.

Ann looked at me.

"Did you sleep with him?" she asked. I almost laughed.

"We've been married for a little while, Ann" I cryptically told her, trying not to blush. Ann grinned at me.

"C'mon, you can tell me…"

I could feel the heat rising from my cheeks. I mumbled something unintelligible to her, and Ann smiled.

"You see? Since Jack and I have children, it makes this entire situation harder and harder for me to bear. You and Grey, I guess you haven't…gotten really intimate yet, so…" I tuned Ann's ramblings out as I considered what she had said. What Ann was saying was that since Grey hadn't really "bedded" me, for lack of polite terms, that I wasn't as paranoid and worrisome as she was!

What was this girl thinking?

"Ann, what are you saying?" I asked her. Ann sighed at me.

"Jack and I have had children together. And if he dies, the children won't get to know their father…I don't think I could take it if he died!" Ann wailed. I reached my arm around to Ann to comfort her, and silently stared out the window. Dread was like a lead weight in my gut, because I didn't know if Grey and the others were dead, or alive.

Then the explosion, and the shockwave, hit the town. A small gust of wind pushed past the Library, blowing plants askew.

"What the hell was that?" my dad yelled, jumping up in alarm. I silently closed by eyes and prayed.

(Zack)

Jack and Karen were in front of me, staring in awe at the chamber beyond. I stepped forward, in front of them, and was amazed, no, stupefied, by what I saw.

The room we were in contained many doors and side passages. The entire room was orange hued, either from the walls themselves or the lighting of the room, which seemed to be absent.

But the most amazing thing about the room was the sheer amount of things that adorned it.

Hundreds of skulls dominated the walls. Many different weapons, dating from what looked like prehistoric times to the modern era were stacked on what looked like shelves, ranging from brutish cudgels to rifles and carbines, similar to what we wielded now.

The skulls were huge, and many. I recognized many human skulls among the more oddly shaped ones. Many appeared ancient, and the differing shape of the human skulls showed that these hunters had been to Earth since the evolution of man.

And strapped to the walls, hanging by their wrists and ankles, were…

"Oh my god! Rick!" Karen screamed, rushing over to the kid, strapped to the wall. Rick groaned once, and looked at Karen with a mixture of anger and distrust.

"You can't fool me, you bastard! I've already seen Karen here forty-two times! Get away from me! I'm not letting you touch me again!" he screamed, gnashing his teeth and trying his best to strike Karen. Karen gasped, taken aback by Rick's show of anger.

"Rick…it's me, Karen. Your wife. Don't you know me?" she asked, sounding hurt. Rick snarled at her, and laughed, a manical, forced, laugh.

"Do you really think this trick will work on me, you dirty bastard? Get me out of these chains and then I'll set you straight!" Rick yelled, dementedly. Manna, to my surprise, was actually quiet, and sad looking. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked pale.

"Hold on, Rick. I'll get you down" Karen soothingly told her husband. He spat at her.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled warningly. Karen walked up to him and slapped him.

"RICK! Wake up! It's really me, Karen! Your wife!" she practically screamed. Rick seemed to calm himself for a moment, still glaring distrustfully at Karen.

As soon as he was freed of his bonds, Rick immediately punched Karen in the face. Hard. She flew backwards, the carbine clattering to the floor. Jack immediately stepped in front of her, and slapped Rick with the butt of his weapon. Rick sprawled to the ground.

"Rick! Snap out of it! The hunter can't hurt you anymore! You're safe!"

Rick glared at him.

"What do you know, Jack? You've come here before, and laughed at me! Taunted me, laughed at me, and just looked down on me! You, and Kai, and Karen, and the rest! My own sister betrayed me by coming here! It's been a nightmare for the last few weeks! Get out! Leave me alone!" he yelled, gaining volume, until I finally decided to intervene, and smashed the butt of my carbine onto the base of his skull.

Karen rushed over to Rick as soon as he fell. Stroking his face, she muttered,

"What did it do to you?"

Jack was already freeing Manna from her bonds. She fell to the ground, limply. Jack grunted and I hoisted her onto my shoulders.

"All we need to do now is find Cliff and Mira"

Jack looked at both of us. I instantly knew what he was thinking.

"You two take Rick and Manna back to the surface. Head back to town. If I don't make it back, try and get everyone off the island. I think everyone will fit on your boat, Zack. Then, do what you can and contact the army. If they have to firebomb the entire island, so be it, but this thing cannot be allowed to live" Jack said grimly, sliding the action of his shotgun back and forth.

I paused for a second, and slid the half-empty clip from my rifle. Slamming a new one home, I handed the full weapon to Jack.

"Take this. It's at least better than your shotgun" I said, taking Jack's shotgun. He smiled at me.

"Thanks for everything, Zack. And, if I don't make it back, tell Ann I'm sorry" he said.

"Jack, don't talk that way!" Karen yelled, hoisting Rick onto her back. Jack smiled at her and rushed into the ship. Looking after him, I secured Manna in place and headed back towards the surface.

(Jack)

Going past the hunter's trophy room, I sprinted down a side passage and into a small room.

Cliff was staring at the room, spellbound.

"What the hell are these things, Jack?" he asked. I took a good look at the room, and rubbed my eyes to make sure my vision was correct.

Three, large tubes covered the wall. Inside the tubes were three, massive, black bugs. Sharp fangs, great white teeth, and a razor blade for a tail made these deadly creatures impressive to look at.

"I'm not sure. But I know Mira didn't come this way. Let's go" I said, grabbing Cliff by the arm and leaving the room. Those creatures…I never wanted to see anything like that again in my life. They were horrifying, to say the least.

The sounds of clashing metal and grunts of exertion suddenly filled the hall. Cliff and I looked at each other and double timed it down the hall.

(Mira)

The hunter was fast, to be sure. But I was faster.

I made it to the sampling room before he did. I didn't have time, unfortunately, to find the vials needed to stop this hybrid human/Predator creation. The hunter was already on top of me.

The hunter's honorable wristblades were already extended, and we proceeded to duel. The clang of metal striking metal resonated through the chamber as we slashed, fought, and parried the other's attacks. Sweat dripped down my face, and I wondered how much longer I could keep the duel up.

"Hey! Get away from her!" came a voice from the back of the room. The second of distraction it took me to look up and see who had called was all the hunter needed. A searing pain filled my arm as the hunter's blades seared through the muscle and bone, pinning me to the wall. The hunter's staff fell to the ground as I screamed in agony.

"I know this hurts" the hunter mocked. I growled in agony and punched the hunter with my free hand. It roared, and reared back to stab me in the face.

Until Jack and Cliff opened fire, causing the hunter to stagger. This was the only distraction I needed. Elongating my hand, I reared it back, and stabbed it into the hunter's chest. It failed to pierce the hunter's skin, as I intended, but I could tell it still hurt. The creature roared in pain, staggering backwards. I dove for the stick, crouching, and thrust the sharp end of the weapon through the hunter's neck as I stood. The creature gurgled, green blood frothing from its mouth, before falling to the ground.

I yanked the spear free of the hunter's throat. Wiping the green blood on its chest, I stood to leave, until I felt a familiar presence, nagging in the back of my head…

_Before you go…_

_What? Can't you just STAY dead?_

_Do not allow the rest of my clan to see my research. Leave no traces behind._

Mira looked back at the dying warrior. It coughed at her, gesturing around the room. Mira picked up the spear and went to work. In thirty seconds, the deed was done. Smashed vials, destroyed computers, and broken equipment littered the floor.

The hunter looked at Mira balefully, before flipping open it's wrist-computer and tapping it several times with its wristblades.

(Jack)

As the hunter finished tapping it's wrist, it threw it's head back…and laughed. A low, ominous beeping sound emanated from the wrist-computer. The noise sounded like a…

"RUN!" Mira yelled, grabbing both me and Cliff by the arms and dragging us out of the room. We sprinted out of the ship, the hunter's cackle following us even when we reached the entrance of the ship. The sinister beeping noise intensified for a second, before becoming completely quiet.

Mira paused for a moment.

"What is it?" I asked.

Mira looked around for a moment, searching for something.

"They're here…but how? They stopped his…oh, no…"

Mira's grip on the Predator weapon tightened as a crackling noise split the air between us. I could smell ozone as the first Predator un-cloaked in front of me. Then another. And another one. Six more Predators revealed themselves in front of us, weapons bared. And none of them looked very happy to see us.

Cliff's face drained of all color. I chuckled nervously, and regripped Zack's carbine.

"Who's next?" I asked, knowing that might be the last thing I ever said. The lead Predator roared, and raised his weapon into the air, cackling and gurgling in anticipation of its cornered prey.


	15. Honor and Duty

Author's Note: Forgive me for using LOTS of creative liscence while writing this fic! (you know, Cliff at the Battle of Mogadishu Cliff kills a soldier in the end, telepathic Predators, Cliff's sword, which is just an imported katana, or samurai sword. The forms Niman and Shii-Choare not actual sword fighting styles, but it is based off of lightsaber forms in Star Wars: KOTOR 2…lol, I'm such a geek)

Prey to a Hunter:

Chapter 15:

Honor and Duty

(Jack)

Mira, Cliff, and I all looked at each other uneasily. How could we possibly hope to take on all of these Predators, when it took an entire town and a squad of Marines to defeat just one?

Mira swung first. Five of the hunters stepped back, making a semi-circle around us. Mira and the lead hunter, from whose shoulders hung many dried skulls, some human, circled each other. Mira's blow sliced through the air, missing the hunter. The creature merely evaded the attack and regained its footing. A sharp roundhouse kick to the head remedied its arrogance, and caused the creature to roar in surprise. It extended its wristblades, the long blades sliding into place with a menacing click of metal on metal.

Mira was relentless. A swipe at the face, a feint to the jaw, a solid kick to the gut, followed by a swift stabbing attack to the chest. The dueling Predator was a proficient fighter, parrying all of her blows unarmed. Mira held the Predator spear close, spinning a dance of death that attempted to lope the Predator's head off. The creature was too fast, and evaded her every blow.

Cliff and I nervously watched this fight anxiously. If Mira went down, we both knew we stood no chance against this monster.

Mira twirled the blade above her head, parrying an overhead blow aimed at her head. The creature's arm slid to the side, but this error was quickly rectified as the creature dropped to one knee and swept at Mira's legs. The Marine fell like a sac of bricks.

(The Yautja)

As my two clansmen departed and disabled the bomb on the other's wrist, I dueled the human. Since the first hunter had been a coward, and refused to fight the human to the death, as tradition ordered, he decided to commit suicide. ABOARD the ship. Blasphemy!

The humans had boarded a Yautja ship and seen the workings within. The only way to cleanse a warrior's honor after prey had tracked it to a ship was to fight the creature in a final duel of honor, using only the ceremonial wrist-blades.

The small indicator beeped once in the Yautja's ear. Good, his clansmen had cleansed the ship of the heretic it contained. No such cowards were allowed to live amongst the Yautja. No exceptions.

This human, the Yautja could understand why his kinsman was afraid. This human was, as far as could be told, the perfect balance of Yautja and human. With Yautja strength, intelligence, and speed, combined with human genetics, this was a superior blend of human and warrior.

All the better for a one on one duel such as this. The human was good, but the hunter was better. After all, the humans were prey, and the Yautja was the hunter. The hunter was not the one to die during the hunt…it was the prey's position. The hunter cackled as a fist connected with the human's face, sending it sprawling at the feet of its comrades.

(Jack)

Mira fell at my feet, exhausted, bloodied, and panting, in obvious pain. Her hands, slick and covered with both red and green blood, still gripped the Predator spear in a vice grip.

Scissoring her legs, Mira rolled backwards and brought the spear up to counter the hail of blows given by the hunter. Mira slapped the blunt end of the spear across the hunter's temple, causing it to stagger. Screaming in anger, she brought the tip of the spear up and around, aiming for the chest.

The hunter sidestepped the point of the weapon and grabbed it, behind the tip. Almost mockingly, the creature laughed, kicking Mira in the gut. She grunted and fell backwards, sprawling all over the ground. The creature laughed triumphantly, but Mira, fury palpable in her eyes, wasn't quite finished yet. Mira turned, as if to run, and spun in a complete circle, the kick slamming into the Predator's neck. The creature let out a small grunt of surprise and rolled to the side. It was quick, parrying Mira's follow-up attacks, one by one. The way the creature fought seemed almost like a twisted mockery of a human fighting style, or at least based off of what I had seen in cheesy martial arts movies.

The hunter was brilliant. Barely using any effort at all, it easily shifted, parrying Mira to the side with it's palm and following up with a powerful strike that would have probably decapitated the Marine. Mira's arm arced upwards and intercepted the incoming blow, and grabbing onto the appendage, she flipped the massive beast over her shoulder. The sound of crunching bones was audible over the hunter's snarl.

An uppercut to the chest doubled Mira over, followed by a swift kick to the head sent her flying. Fearfully watching as the hunter stomped down, trying to break Mira's ribs, I wondered just how long the Marine could hold out against this powerful foe.

(Mira)

This Predator was fast, faster than even the one we had faced back in the experimentation room. I was wondering how much longer I could keep up the fight between him and I. This hunter seemed amused, barely using any of his energy and technique in my battle. I was giving everything I had, if not only to survive.

The spear I was holding was alien in design, so it could go head to head with the wristblades of this new hunter. The weapon, heavy before, grew heavier and heavier in my arms as I spun the weapon in my off hand, parrying a strike to the side. Block, parry, strike, an endless dance of death we weaved. It might not be endless for much longer, because as I tired, my reactions became slower. Cliff, I could see, was on the verge of bursting into the fight. I had to end this battle, but how? And even then, there were more of these hunters to deal with after this one.

I just didn't think I had the strength to go on.

(Cliff)

The hunter finally landed a solid blow. Mira gasped, coughing raggedly, blood and sweat pouring from her body as the hunter stabbed her in the thigh. A quick kick to the left caught Mira's arm, snapping it like a twig. She couldn't last any longer, it was obvious.

"Mira, get clear!" I yelled, firing a grenade at the creature. Mira looked up, and leapt out of the way. The hunter, however, stood stock still, watching the grenade travel in almost slow motion towards its head.

And, to my surprise, the hunter, faster than I ever thought possible, sidestepped the projectile, slapping it to the side with its hand. The grenade sailed into the night sky and harmlessly detonated above our heads.

The hunter's shoulder cannon moved up, the targeting reticule coming to bear on my chest. Was this how I was going to die? I didn't think so! The last grenade on my belt was quickly in my hand, and I rushed forward, priming the grenade, screaming manically as I rushed the creature. If I was going to die, I swear, I would take this big bastard down with me!

(The Predator)

I was impressed by the human's display of courage. The desperate human charged, holding a fragmentation grenade in its right hand. I laughed dismissively as the suicidal human gained ground, rushing towards the entrance of the ship where I stood. I could destroy him before he even came close to hitting me.

But then, I realized, almost too late, that the human did not intend to die himself in the blast.

The human threw the grenade quickly. It landed at my feet and promptly exploded. Shielding my face with my arms, I allowed myself to be flung, outside of the ship, by the explosion. Landing on the ground, I crouched, preparing for battle.

The last thing I expected was the same grenade human to charge out of the smoke and dust, brandishing a human blade of oriental design. Well, if he wanted to tangle like that, I would match him. My wristblades and combistick would cut through such a primitive weapon like a blade through a murf'taka.

(Jack)

Cliff charged, holding his sword high. This Predator, it seemed, had one, final surprise for Cliff as it drew two human swords. One was a short medieval sword, and the other was a saber. I could not tell what time period it was from, but a vague image of the weapon from my history class in high school helped me identify the weapon.

The two blades parried and swept Cliff's initial assault to the side. Cliff grunted and was almost decapitated by a retaliatory strike meant to gut him from shoulder to sternum. Cliff was nimble, darting in and out of the creature's guard.

_Stay out of this battle_

The thought, alien in origin, pierced my skull and lingered for a second. I staggered, shaking my head. What was that?

(Cliff)

_This is between the half breed and myself._

Half breed? I assumed the hunter was speaking to me in my head, somehow. Maybe the damn thing was telepathic, or using some kind of alien technology to broadcast it's thoughts. As for half breed, I assumed he meant Mira, but I could not understand why he referred to her as a "half breed".

I could see why this hunter had tired Mira so easily. The form he was using was called Niman, an ancient form dating from the ancient feudal times of China. I recognized the form because my instructor who gave me this blade had used the style as his personal combat system. He too had wielded two blades, but not as strange as the ones the alien was using now. A Civil-war esque saber and a short sword were an odd pair, but still usable, I guess. A good chunk of my hair was lopped off as I ducked to avoid a sweeping attack. Niman was a well-balanced style with no real weaknesses. It was both offensive and defensive at the same time.

My personal fighting style was named Shii-Cho, a simplistic form best utilized against two or more opponents. I was adept at this style because I had been a rebel, constantly outnumbered and outgunned, and I had to survive. From small raids of villages in Middle Eastern countries, to the legendary fight in the streets of Somalia, I had always been outnumbered. I had become a mercenary at the young age of fourteen, and that same year, I had been hired as a militaman two days before the infamous battle of Mogadishu, and had been in the mob that overran the position of two American soldiers protecting a wounded pilot. I had looked them in the eyes right before they died. Their defiance and courage in the face of death had astounded me at time, and for the rest of the day, I had wondered in a daze, somehow escaping the death and carnage that had surrounded me.

And then, I found her. A female US Army Ranger, during the evacuation of the city, had rounded a corner, right in my face. I did the only natural thing at the time. I punched her in the face, and held my sword at her throat.

Her words played in my mind as I dueled the hunter. Mockingly, I remembered.

"_Go ahead. Kill me"_

"_American swine. Die, like all of you should!"_

"_There's nothing worse you can do to me. Take your time" she retorted. I grinned, a sadistic grin, and raised my arm to strike. _

"_Hey, meat! Back off, I saw her first!" a big militaman rounded the corner, scowling at me. He was wearing the combat vest of a US Ranger, an obvious trophy from one of his kills._

"_She's mine" I said coldly. Words were no longer needed as we discarded our weapons and began to fight. Just because we were on the same side didn't mean we had to get along. _

_I grunted as the big man slammed his elbow into the base of my skull. I fell over, gasping for air. He kicked me in the ribs and drew a captured Colt pistol, another trophy from a downed American. I cringed as he pulled the trigger, sending the bullet that inevitably would spell my doom._

_And then, she stepped in my way. The bullet impacted her chest as her throwing knife sunk up to the hilt, jutting out of the militiaman's neck. He fell, a look of surprise on his face._

"_Run, kid. When they find me, they'll kill you" she warned, glancing towards the retreating American forces. I didn't care why she decided to protect me then, and warn me now, but what she said was the truth. I ran, running even faster when the excited shouts of the American troops reached my ears. They had found the soldier. _

I winced in pain as the hunter's blade made contact with my skin. It cut a deep gash into my right arm, the blood pouring forth and splaying onto its blades. I couldn't help but scream in agony as the hunter's follow up strike slashed across my face, then across my chest, and finally my legs. I fell to the ground, gasping for breath. The hunter gurgled triumphantly as it prepared to strike, bringing both blades high above it's head. I winced, preparing for the long-awaited death that I had avoided for ten years.

_Well, we all have to go sometime, don't we?_


	16. Trophy

Author's Note: Does anyone think the girl described in the song "The Party Song" by Blink 182 sounds like someone from Harvest Moon! I was listening to the song on my way to school, and "And then I saw her standing there, with GREEN EYES and LONG BLOND HAIR…" made me freeze for a moment. (oh come on, this should be obvious!) this is the first of two more short chapters that mark the end of this work (first fic finished!). Second fic (no title yet) is coming.

Prey to a Hunter

Chapter 16:

Trophy

(Mira)

Finally regaining my footing, my left arm hung limply as I saw Cliff dueling the Predator! He was doing quite well, actually, the Yautja warrior using twin blades and Cliff his single katana. But seeing as the hunter's attacks grew quicker and dangerously close, Cliff wouldn't last much longer against this onslaught.

My prediction held true as Cliff cried out in pain, blood spurting into the air from a ragged wound along his arm. Several more blows brought the former mercenary to his feet, and the hunter raised his sword, preparing for a final strike that would kill Cliff!

I began to climb out of the hole, but I knew I would not arrive in time to either kill the hunter or save Cliff. Maybe while the creature was distracted, I could kill it, but Cliff was as good as gone.

(Jack)

I knew what I had to do. Cliff would die unless I intervened now.

I sprinted forward, raising Zack's carbine above my head. The hunter laughed triumphantly, but was cut short as I slammed the butt of the rifle into the Predator's facemask. The creature staggered, slightly disoriented. I opened fire, spraying the creature with bullets. The creature staggered further backwards, roaring in surprise and pain. It turned, and kicked me in the face. I grunted, falling backwards. Gasping in pain as the hunter's blade sunk into my gut, the blood darkened my overalls as I fell. The wound wasn't deep, and I knew I would be alright.

Mira rushed past me, on my right, as the rifle's bolt cycled the chamber, empty. I had done all I could, buying Mira enough time to get back into the fight. The only thing I could do now was wait and hope.

(Mira)

I leapt back into battle, kicking the hunter in the chest. I could not fight for long, as my injuries and wounded arm hindered my capabilities. I slashed, left and right, flurrying my attacks and pushing the creature backwards. It fended off my attacks for a time, until my blade finally cut through the short offhand sword. It snapped in half as my spear tip sailed through it. The hunter cast it aside and extended its wristblades, roaring a challenge. We spun, parried, and flurried, but I was quickly gaining the upper hand. I finally battered the hunter's arm out of the way, and moved in for a strike.

The cut was not very deep. It was enough to splatter green ichor over my face, but that was all. The creature roared and slammed its fist into my chest. I could not hold out for much longer. I brought the combistick high above my head, twirling it, and slammed it down, in a final, desperate, attack.

The hunter finally roared in anguish as my blade cut deep into my foe's chest. It held a hand over its wound, and stood tall, out of its battle stance. I stiffened and stared at the creature. It retracted its wristblades and bowed to me.

_Child of a warrior, you bring honor to your clan._

_I don't need your honor, killer._

_You defeated two Yautja warriors in combat today. Do you not realize the honor this brings you?_

_I don't care. Just let those two, Jack and Cliff, go. They're not who you want. I am._

_For the prey of a Yautja to kill one clansman and force the surrender of another marks the prey as an honorable clan member. Take it._

The bowing hunter stood slowly, pulling something out from its belt. To my surprise, the weapon was a 19th century Civil War revolver. The word "Jackson" was inscribed on the side of the weapon, in curling script. Could it possibly refer to the famous Confederate general, "Stonewall" Jackson? It couldn't possibly be his…

"Take it" the hunter said aloud, handing the object to me.

Two of the hunters returned, carrying the dead body of our hunter. The device on its wrist was hacked into pieces, obviously by the fellow Yautja.

_You killed him. _

_We had to. The destruction of this ship with our clan still onboard is blasphemy. _

_No wonder you're a dying breed. You kill each other over your petty honor._

_He would have destroyed the entire ship._

_I don't care. Just let my friends go._

(Jack)

The Predator stood tall, glancing towards its comrades. They gurgled and cackled for a second, before re-cloaking and disappearing inside the ship. Another, secondary door slid shut, and a low rumbling noise filled the air.

"Run!" Mira yelled, slowly limping away from the crater. I picked up the wounded Cliff and ran, dropping the carbine and scrambling for cover. The rumbling soon turned into a roar, and suddenly, the entirety of the Predator ship emerged from the crater. It was HUGE. I found it hard to believe that this ship was the meteor Ann and I had watched about a week ago.

The ship held still for a moment before blasting off into space, leaving a small trail behind. Soon afterward, the trail disappeared, too, as the stars winked and twinkled at us.

Around us, debris from the chopper were strewn everywhere. The General, Grey, his guards, the sergeant and Gotz's bodies were thrown around haphazardly, like a child's room when he is finished with his toys.

Mira and I looked at each other, and promptly fainted.

-

(Harris)

Basil, Jeff, Tim and I crashed through the undergrowth, towards the source of the explosion. Karen and Zack had returned, with Rick and Manna, only fifteen minutes earlier, telling us the story of how Jack, Cliff, and Mira had gone deeper into the ship to kill the alien creature. Insanity! They were as good as dead, in my opinion.

As we neared a clearing in the woods, a deafening roar split the air around us. We paused, staring into the skies.

A large ball of flame rose from the ground, shooting rapidly into the skies. I ran faster, drawing my handgun as I ran.

The smoldering remains of a military chopper littered the ground. Grey, Jack, Cliff, Mira, the general, the sergeant, Gotz, and his guards, were all strewn across the clearing. A massive, gaping hole in the ground was glowing, red hot.

Inspecting Gotz, we found a very weak, barely alive, pulse. I doubted that he would survive, but Gotz was my friend. He couldn't die, not like the others. Grey was unconscious, the general the same, and Mira, Jack, and Cliff looked like they wouldn't survive the night. Mira was probably the worst off of the three of them. Her left arm was broken, her ribs looked fractured, and she was covered in blood. Jack had a minor stab wound in his chest, some injuries from shrapnel and the like, but was otherwise unharmed. Cliff had three ragged slash wounds across his body, and was breathing irregularly, but was going to make it.

I lifted Mira onto my shoulder. Blood spurted onto my face, and I realized just how many slash wounds she had sustained. I had no idea what kind of a person she was, but this Mira, to survive so many stab and slash wounds, and still be alive, was amazing. Her face was rapidly becoming paler and paler, so I began to sprint back in the direction of the town.

(later)

"Will they be alright, Tim?"

We stood in the Clinic. Tim's hands were coated in blood, having to tend to Mira, Cliff, Jack, Grey, the General, Shiro, Takatura, Stacker, Gotz, the sergeant, AND Larsen was taking it's toll on him. Elli's face was covered in worry as she began to wrap bandages around Mira's arms.

"I think so. I was worried about Gotz and Mira, but they'll survive the night. The sergeant is in a coma, and medical help is coming from the Marine base, Gateway. There are even a team of soldiers from the American mainland inbound. I'm not sure why they're bothering now" Tim laughed, the stress of the last week apparent in his eyes.

Rick sat in the corner, staring forward, his eyes glassy. Lillia was stricken, staring at her son with sad, desperate eyes. Karen was nowhere to be found.

Mary hovered over Grey, watching intently as Elli applied a cool compress to his skull. I could see his eyes rolling in the boy's head. He was going to be alright.

Doug was also silent, sitting in a chair next to Lillia. His face was neutral, staring ahead at Jack, who was being fussed over by Ann.

"He's coming around!" she yelled excitedly. I smiled.

"Now, Ann, don't shout like that. You'll only scare him…" I smiled.

Jack slowly sat up.

"Where…what happened?" he groaned. Ann was immediately on top of him, embracing him tightly.

"JACK!" she screamed. Jack's eyes bulged, and his face turned several shades of blue.

"Ann…augh…aahh…I'm happy to see you, too…" he groaned. Ann's face was blissful as she let go.

"I thought we lost you" she said.

Jack smiled.

"And you expect me to say something really anti-climatic here, right?" he joked, poking Ann in the ribs. She squealed and batted at his hands.

I silently began to walk home, feeling once again, safe.


	17. Tour's End

Author's Note: Final chappie! YEAH! I suck at endings(it's a bit short, and the ending was a bit botched…but the sequel is in progress!)

Prey to a Hunter:

Chapter 17:

Tour's End

(Jack)

Ann was…enthusiastic, to say the least. Maybe it was because the baby was due in seven months, but emotions for her over the past week had been in extremes. My ribs smarted from her powerful bear hug.

Mary told me about Ann's outburst in the Library. I was genuinely touched by her display. I never knew Ann cared that deeply about me before. Ann was staring at me, with a mixture of concern and relief in her beautiful blue eyes.

Zack was also in the Clinic. His head was bandaged, but he managed to smile back at me when I looked in his direction. Karen was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's go home" I whispered in Ann's ear, sliding off the cot and onto the floor. Big mistake. My weak legs quickly gave out under me, and I fell to the ground.

"Jack! Stay in bed!" Elli scolded, helping Ann lift me back onto the bed. I grinned sheepishly and let them lay me on the bed.

"You can stay here, tonight" Elli said, gesturing towards the rest of the wounded people littering the Clinic.

"We'll be here, Jack" Ann said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to me. I smiled and Ann squeezed my hand. We were truly safe. The Predator had been defeated, and his kinsman had left Earth…but for good? At this moment, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was…

"Ann?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Could you get me something to eat? I'm STARVING…"

Ann rolled her eyes and giggled.

(two weeks later)

"Hahahaha! You can't fool me! Just try it! I dare you!" Rick babbled incoherently as Zack and Gotz wrestled him onto the helicopter that would take him to the mainland.

Private Stacker, who was one of the escorts onboard the chopper, fully healed, laid his hand on Karen's shoulder.

"He'll be alright. Gateway has some of the best shell-shock rehab stations available"

Karen nodded sullenly, and watched as Private Larsen helped Rick into a straight jacket for the ride to Gateway. The chopper's pilot was napping in his seat, as the sergeant was talking with the Mayor about potential Marine recruits coming from the surrounding towns. Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley were some of the most influential farming towns around, and through us, the message of Marine recruits could spread faster.

Cliff, decked out in full combat armor and wielding the massive squad machine gun, smiled at us as he stepped off of the chopper. He was followed by Mira, who was also in armor.

Mira walked over to us. She had been promoted to Corporal about three days after the incident due to the sheer amount of injuries she had sustained, and was now the second in command of the squad of Marines, the same squad that had aided us in the defense of our town.

"Hey, everyone!" Cliff called. I walked over to Cliff and looked him up and down.

"Well, look who's back" I smirked. Cliff punched my shoulder as Ann rushed up to hug him.

"I've missed you guys" Cliff said, standing back up. Mira smiled at us and looked at Ann's slightly larger stomach.

"Getting larger, aren't we? When are you due?"

Ann beamed.

"Seven months!"

Mira smiled as well.

(five months later)

"Jack! Dinner's ready!"

"I'm coming, dear!"

Prespiration dripped down my face as I stood up, slipping the turnip into my pack. It had been about two entire seasons since the intergalactic hunter had graced Mineral Town with it's presence. Everything was as normal as could be expected; a new bunch of animals, fields full of crops, and Ann's excellent cooking every night for dinner.

Manna was running the Winery all by herself now. The loss of Duke was a crippling blow to the efforts of the place, but wine from Mineral Town was exported to several surrounding towns, namely Forget Me Not Valley and Sugar Ville, so Manna was determined to keep the place running. Despite their constant fights, Duke and Manna were the oldest couple in Mineral Town, and I could tell Manna missed Duke dearly.

Ann was sitting in a chair, looking exhausted. Her stomach bulged, and I remembered that the baby was due in two short months, after the start of summer.

A large pizza slowly wafted steam into the air. It smelled wonderful, and I smiled at Ann.

"You didn't have to go to this much trouble. I'll cook dinner if you want" Ann shook her head.

"You're so sweet, Jack. I think that's why I married you"

I grinned wolfishly.

"So, it isn't for my dashingly good looks, then?" I challenged. Ann stared at me for a second, before laughing and swatting at my head with her hand.

"You arrogant scoundrel!" she giggled. I caught her hand and smirked at her, poking her in the side. Ann squirmed and almost fell off of her seat trying to escape my finger.

Dinner that night was excellent.

(seven months later)

I fingered my cap nervously in my fingers. Tim, who stood next to me, smiled at me while he watched Elli work. Our baby was finally due, and Ann had just gone into labor. Charlie was sitting next to me, quietly listening to the anguished cries from the next room. It tore my heart to shreds knowing Ann was in pain, but the pain was a necessary part of the wonderful process which was occurring for the second time in my house.

"Oh, god, Elli, it hurts…!"

"Be strong, Ann. You're over halfway done!" Elli consoled. Ann groaned.

"It hurts!"

"Hold on, Ann!"

My cap fell out of my lap as I stood up. Malak trotted up to me and whined. Revan gazed balefully at me from across the room, and Tim held up his hand, peeking into the next room.

"Argh!"

The sound of a baby crying assailed my ears. Charlie gazed into the next room in wonder, and Revan stood, sniffing towards the door.

"Oww…wait, Elli!" Ann yelled from the next room.

There was a pause, before Elli took charge again.

"Ok, umm, Ann…push harder! You can do it!"

Ann screamed again. I cringed, and suddenly, two babies were crying. Twins!

Elli poked her head around the corner, grinning at me.

"Congratulations, Jack! You're the proud father of a pair of twins! Both girls, I might add!" she smiled at me. I practically teleported into the room.

Ann was holding both babies, who were wrapped in fresh linen towels. She looked happy as both babies screamed their respective heads off, their open mouths gaping wide for all the world to hear.

"Well, don't just stand there, Jack! Come over and hold them!" Ann exclaimed, a tired look in her eyes.

I took the first baby in my arms. To my absolute surprise, a pair of brown eyes looked back into mine for a second, before my new daughter promptly began to scream again. I smiled at her.

"Did you name them yet?" I asked. Ann shook her head negative.

"You can name that one. I'll name her…Rebecca" she told me, holding the baby in her arms.

"Then I'll name this one…Ellen" I thought. Ellen had been the name of my childhood mentor and next door neighbor, who taught me, among things, how to stand up for myself when I was bullied by the larger kids at my old school. Such times seemed so long ago…

"Rebecca and Ellen" we repeated, smiling. At the same time, my new rooster, Dutch, crowed, signaling the new day. The sun rose, and Ann and I looked out the window and watched it rise together.


End file.
